OTHER NEWS - March 23, 1995

Pepsi to Test Lower Calorie, Less Sugar Cola: The nation’s second-biggest soft drink marketer will gauge consumer reaction to a new cola with half the sugar and calories of its flagship brand starting next month in five Florida test markets. Pepsi-Cola said it is calling the new drink Pepsi XL--the X is supposed to connote excellent taste and the L stands for less sugar. It will be Pepsi’s third try at marketing a cola domestically that delivers fewer calories per serving than its best-selling Pepsi brand but more than calorie-free Diet Pepsi. Pepsi Light enjoyed some popularity in the late 1970s but was phased out by the mid-1980s. Jake’s soda was tested starting in late 1986 but was discontinued the next year without getting out of the test-market phase.