Pepsi-Cola Replaces Diet Coke as No. 2 Soda Brand in US

An annual industry report revealed that PepsiCo Inc.'s Pepsi-Cola has gone head of Coca-Cola Co.'s Diet Coke to become the No. 2 soda brand in the US in 2014.

The annual report shows that diet sodas continue to lose popularity. Overall soda use by American people decreased for the tenth straight year, but at a more modest speed than the preceding year. As per an annual report by the industry tracker Beverage Digest, full-calorie Coke of Coca-Cola remained the most popular soda across the country in 2014.

Overall soda use in the United States decreased 0.9% last year and it marked the tenth straight year of decline. In the US, health-conscious consumers are moving away from carbonated drinks to energy drinks and other alternatives.

Diet soda sales are continuously falling in the United States. Many consumers are worried about the health impact from the consumption of diet sodas because they make use of artificial, zero-calorie sweeteners like aspartame.

According to experts, recent studies have criticized the use of artificial sweeteners. It has been suggested that its consumption is not healthy and might lead to obesity and other health problems. According to Beverage Digest, despite the decrease in soda use, overall volumes of all nonalcoholic beverages climbed 1.7% in the United States in 2014, after decreasing 1.6% in 2013.

Low-calorie alternatives that replace sugar with sweeteners like aspartame have also decreased in popularity because of concerns about the side-effects of their ingredients. Energy drinks and cold coffees have increased in popularity. In 2014, the US drinks business was worth $160bn.