Recently, I have been drinking regular Coke and have been really turned off by the taste, since it seemed to have aspartame in it. At first I thought I was crazy because it is regular Coke, not sugar free. On the ingredients it just says "high fructose corn syrup".
Nevertheless, after two weeks of this, I kept thinking, "Jesus, this tastes like diet." I was even pouring it out, thinking maybe it was just a "bad" one or something.
Anyway, so I get a coke today (April 19, 2016) and for all the world it tastes like an artificial sweetener (I can tell the difference), so I am thinking, this is just nuts. Isn't it illegal to have non-listed ingredients? So, I start doing some googling and I come up with this:
Is Aspartame used in all sodas?
Is this right? Are companies now adding artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and not listing it as an ingredient (its a "natural flavor")?
Note: I have confirmed that the FDA has approved another sugar substitute, acesulfame potassium, for use as a "flavor enhancer" in beverages. See 21 CFR Part 172 [Docket No. 2002F–0220] "Food Additives Permitted for Direct Addition to Food for Human Consumption; Acesulfame Potassium". See Federal Register Vol. 68, No. 250 / Wednesday, December 31, 2003. So, the possibility of fake sugars being used secretely under the category of "natural flavors" seems to be valid.