PepsiCo enters the natural wave and Gatorade now is organic

(Bloomberg)--PepsiCo is releasing a version of Gatorade with organic certification from the U.S. Department of agriculture (USDA), testing whether a product created in laboratory with artificial flavors can adapt to the growing movement of natural foods in the country.
After two years of research, the company is now selling the G Organic Strawberry, lemon and red fruits in some supermarkets Kroger, said Brett O''Brien, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Gatorade. The company intends to expand the release to some markets, health food stores and convenience stores in the next few weeks. The suggested retail price for the sale of new drinks is $ 1.69 for a 480 ml bottle, $ 0.50 more than Gatorade Thirst Quencher, the equivalent without organic certification.
Gatorade, which controls 70 percent of the market of sports drinks, is facing greater pressure from new competitors, such as coconut water, because consumers are more focused than ever in the ingredients. Sales of organic food industry in the United States reached $ 43.3 billion in 2015, 11% more than in the previous year, and sales in the food sector as a whole advanced 3 percent, according to the Organic Trade Association.
"We heard loud and clear in garments and in our work with nutritionists that there is an interest and a desire among athletes to consume organic products," said O''Brien in an interview. "Around 10% to 12% of the athletes say they are interested in buying organic products".
To be considered organic, the new Gatorade had to get rid of artificial ingredients and PepsiCo had to improve the manufacturing process. Each one of the stages was approved by USDA to ensure that organic products are more natural and less harmful to the environment.
But the launch of G Organic has its risks. PepsiCo has been criticized recently after changing the sweetener used in Diet Pepsi, which forced the company to reissue a version with aspartame less than a year after removing it from the market. Although the company is not changing the ingredients of the product is its flagship, as PepsiCo made with Diet Pepsi, an enlargement of the brand Gatorade--which already includes the G2, low calorie--could confuse consumers.
"How can they concentrate on modifying the ingredients without altering the taste, this is a situation that benefits everyone," said Adam Fleck, an analyst with Morningstar''s drinks. "But we must be very careful not to delete existing customers in an attempt to attract customers that abandoaram the brand or a new public".
G Organic, containing seven ingredients, is the first sports drink to serve food and beverage to consumers seeking products with fewer ingredients and natural components.