NEW YORK, March 14, 2005- Artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet, Splenda, Equal and Sweet'N Low represent a vigorous $1 billion industry, but attitudes toward these sugar substitutes among thousands of the most nutrition-conscious consumers are negative.

According to BuzzMetrics, the leader in word-of-mouth research and planning, 45 percent of all artificial-sweetener discussions among over 200,000 closely watched trend-setting consumers in online health and nutrition forums were negative in the fourth quarter of 2004. Specifically, 14 percent of discussions recommended using natural sweeteners instead; 13 percent warned of side effects; 11 percent advocated for limited intake; and seven percent complained of unpleasant taste.

Conversely, 42 percent of artificial-sweetener discussions were in favor of them in some way. Specifically, 19 percent discussed regular usage; 17 percent advocated their use in cooking; and six percent recommended them over natural sweeteners.

"There absolutely is a sizable and influential grassroots constituency that is actively voicing dissatisfaction with artificial sweeteners and aggressively advocating against them," said Jonathan Carson, president and CEO, BuzzMetrics. "Marketers of artificial sweeteners and foods that incorporate them should pay close attention to these passionate nutrition enthusiasts. They have a proven history of virally disseminating their opinions, seeding grassroots trends and influencing widespread perceptions and consumption of food brands and ingredients."

Splenda, the wildly popular no-calorie sweeter made from sucralose and under legal assault by the Sugar Association, is believed to claim half of all market share for the artificial-sweetener category. While Spenda has historically attracted positive sentiment from online nutrition enthusiasts, the situation is changing.

Negative sentiment for Splenda increased from 27 to 33 percent between the third and fourth quarters of 2004 among the thousands of participants in the 90 health-and-nutrition forums BuzzMetrics is tracking. At the same time, positive sentiment dropped from 40 percent to 34 percent of all messages, and mixed sentiment increased from 21 to 25 percent. The rise in negative and mixed sentiment has been driven by complaints of side effects, including gastrointestinal, headaches and sugar cravings. There is also concern over the sweetener's status as "chemically engineered."

"Splenda's remarkable rise in popularity and sales was driven largely by grassroots support of consumer influencers who are heavily involved in nutrition issues," said Carson. "But that same consumer-driven force may now be turning against the product. Coupled with the high-profile legal battles the brand is facing, Splenda could face significant adversity in the coming quarters."

NutritionBuzz Influencer Panel
These findings are from the latest NutritionBuzz TrendSpot Report (Q4 2004), based on BuzzMetrics pioneering Influencer Panel research methodology which tracks the thousands of individuals who most effectively spread buzz and start trends among millions of consumers online. Through its proprietary Discussion Miner technology, BuzzMetrics identifies the most influential consumers, segments them into Influencer Panels, and then measures the impact of their public commentary in the marketplace across a range of topics.

The technology retrieves hundreds of millions of verbatim discussions from blogs, chat rooms, listserves and product feedback sites among other channels. BuzzMetrics Influencer Panels enable marketers to identify how the most engaged consumers are talking, and what issues will influence them in the future -- usually by several months. The Influencer Panels reveal potential threats and helps companies prepare for impending crises.

Press Contact: Sandra Parrelli; Sandra.Parrelli@nielsen.com; 646-654-7772

Sales Inquiries: sales@buzzmetrics.com; 1.877.999.7335

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