General Foods USA has been awarded a...

General Foods USA has been awarded a patent on two new products that are 2,000 to 2,500 times sweeter than sugar. The sweeteners, known by their working names of PS 99 and PS 100, will significantly reduce calories in any food in which they are substituted for sugar, the company said. It said it is conducting further studies to establish the safety and performance of the sweeteners before they are submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval. The company, a division of New York-based Philip Morris Cos., said it plans to commercially develop the sweeteners.