Alternative sweeteners are among the most thoroughly studied and scrupulously regulated ingredients in our food supply. They are also the most visible. Consumers are very familiar with sweeteners—they understand what sweeteners do and know them individually by their trade names, if not generically.
In a 2004 nationally projectable consumer survey conducted by the Calorie Control Council, 84% of respondents reported using low-calorie, reduced-sugar, or sugar-free foods and beverages. And 85% of th…