Dr Pepper review: Aspartame / Acesulfame K added to Dr Pepper 1

A couple of months ago, Dr Pepper added the sweeteners Aspartame and Acesulfame K to their full-sugar soft drink, and now the 'old' bottles have been completely phased out. They have done this under the pretense that "many consumers want to consume less calories but still enjoy the taste", with blatant disregard to the fact that if people wanted to consume less calories they would simply drink less, or alternatively switch to the DIET, ZERO, or TEN versions (TEN, as in 10 Calories, by the way) which were made SPECIFICALLY for those who prefer to consume less calories and sugars. In doing so they've made Dr Pepper potentially unsafe and have most certainly ruined the taste, yet they still print a "New & Improved" sticker on the bottle. Is this not false advertising, when Aspartame contamination in soft drinks is nothing new and the flavour has certainly NOT been improved?! "Altered Recipe" perhaps, but telling us it's "New & Improved" is doing little more than lying and insulting our intelligence.

They also falsely, repeatedly, make the claim that Aspartame has been proven safe for consumption, even though the National Cancer Institute cannot clearly define whether Aspartame is or is not a carcinogenic substance. A huge number of (former) customers have come forth to complain that they can no longer drink Dr Pepper as the unnecessarily-added sweeteners cause horrible migraines and stomach upsets. I am one such person to suffer with these symptoms, which can take effect after consuming just one glass, and may last up to 3 days. Not to mention that the taste has been made bitter and sharp by the addition of Aspartame, drinks go flat almost immediately (even from a new bottle), and even my dog won't touch the stuff any more!

This comes in addition to the recent news that Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Dr Pepper all intend to reduce the size of their bottles while no doubt raising the price even higher, yet again, in order to "reduce calories". These actions are an utterly unacceptable way of reducing production costs completely at the expense of the consumer, whether you are looking at their wallet or their health, with the specific intent to increase profit margins. These are NOT desperate companies struggling to find a means of staying afloat. Reducing portion sizes at greater prices is a Marketing Ploy, NOT a health improvement programme! That is for the individual to decide in regard to their own personal dietary requirements.

I, like many others, are asking that Dr Pepper reverse the changes they have made and re-introduce the previous recipe which was perfectly fine without Aspartame and Acesulfame K. We also ask that portion sizes are not reduced, or at the very least that prices will be LOWERED in accordance with the smaller servings. I for one cannot understand why having a smaller drink would be beneficial when I'm out and about, and have neither the time nor money to spare buying another drink every couple of hours because my pathetically tiny bottle is empty after 3 sips (anyone who has been fooled by those 'smaller than normal' Coca-Cola bottles will know exactly what I mean).

Please check the attached link to Dr Pepper UK's Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/drpepperuk and have a read through the comments there. Also pay particular attention to the "Posts To Page" section on the left-hand side, where customer complaints have been flooding through non-stop since at least 14th August 2014. There is no reason whatsoever to poison people with unnecessary substances - adding Aspartame to the recipe without first consulting their customers is essentially tantamount to spiking somebody's drink, the effects may not be so immediately severe, but it's still adding an undesired substance to their drink without their knowledge/permission.

Coca-Cola so far has failed to update the official Dr Pepper website, http://www.drpepper.co.uk/Home/Contact with their new HQ address.