Coke, Pepsi to use stevia sweetener

Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. will offer drinks with a no-calorie natural sweetener after the Food and Drug Administration said it had no objection to the use of the product made from the stevia plant.

Coca-Cola said it would introduce Sprite Green using its version of the sweetener, which it calls Truvia, at youth-oriented events this month and plans a broader rollout next year. Two flavors of Odwalla juice sweetened with Truvia are being put on store shelves now, the company said.

PepsiCo said it would use the sweetner, which it calls PureVia, in three new zero-calorie SoBe Lifewater flavors. It also will use it in a Tropicana orange juice called Trop50.