Aussie shoppers furious over 'sneaky' new detail in Pepsi and Mountain Dew: 'Absolute scandal'
Russell Stuart, known as Russ Eats on social media, went on an expletive rage when he noticed the heath star ratings had switched from 0.5 to 1.5 stars.
Upon a closer look at the ingredients list on the label, up to 35 per cent of the sugar has been replaced with sweetener.
'Worst news in f***ing junk food history - this is going to make some people cry. Full sugar Pepsi and Mountain Dew are gone,' Russ said in his video.
'Now the packaging looks the same, that's what's so sneaky. But the health star has went up. Guess what? They've taken out some of the sugar and added sweetener.
'Look at the Mountain Dew, there was sugar, now there's sweetener. Absolute bulls***... Full sugar Pepsi should not be touched.'
Russ pointed out that Sprite, Fanta and Lift varieties all have versions with reduced sugar content following tweaks to their original recipes, which he isn't a fan of.
'They did this with Sprite, Fanta and Lift - and they all suck now,' he said.
Shoppers are furious after discovering the original recipes of the iconic Pepsi and Mountain Dew soft drinks have been quietly changed. Russell Stuart, known as Russ Eats, went on an expletive rage when he noticed the heath star ratings had switched from 0.5 to 1.5 stars
'Remember when Coke changed the recipe? I wasn't born (at the time), but apparently people nearly punched on.'
The food content creator went on to say that if consumers preferred less sugar, they would choose Pepsi Max or Mountain Dew No Sugar options.
'Why a half a*** version? That would only make sense maybe in sports drinks, not fizzy. Even diabetics rely on the full sugar versions to get their sugar levels up when they go low,' Russ said.
'We had a half a*** Pepsi before, it was called Pepsi Next... There was Coke Life, no c*** bought them, they went off the f***ing shelves.
'Now they've done it secretly to the ones we love. This is an absolute scandal.'
PepsiCo responds
PepsiCo, which owns Pepsi and Mountain Dew, confirmed the ingredients have been altered. There is still sugar in the new formulas of the soft drinks - just less of it.
'We have reduced the sugar content in Pepsi and Mountain Dew in response to consumers who tell us they are looking for products that contain less sugar,' a PepsiCo spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
'The new formulas contain low-calorie sweeteners and a lower sugar content.
'We've also undertaken extensive sensory research to ensure we're still delivering the same great taste consumers know and love.'
Russ's video has been viewed more than 600,000 times - with many saying they were devastated by the change to their popular beverages.
'Not my Dew…. NOT MY DEW,' one said, crying.
'They ruined Mountain Dew when they made it energised. It was perfect as it was 10 years ago,' another shared.
'I'm fuming about the Mountain Dew! Why are they forcing no sugar on us?' one raged.
'If it tastes different I'll cry. I don't even like the no sugar drinks as it is. They have a weird aftertaste - I'd still have them but they're not preferred especially with soft drinks,' one added.
'How dare they do this to me. I honestly drink Mountain Dew everyday for the past eight years, I have been noticing that they taste different recently,' another shared.
Many explained that if they wanted low sugar alternatives, they would choose sugar-free versions.
Meanwhile, many expressed their emotions after their favourite soft drinks were either tweaked or taken off the shelves.
'I cried when they removed Diet Coke from Maccas, planes and pubs. It sucks,' one confessed.
'THAT'S why I hate Fanta now... I didn't realise,' another shared, suggesting they had only just discovered that their go-to soft drink now has reduced sugar.
While one suggested: 'As long as they don't EVER change Pepsi Max or normal Coke I'll sleep well at night.'
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