Billed as the first sugar-free isotonic drink, the US-produced ChampionLyte is being launched on the European market next month at this year's Anuga trade show in Cologne, Germany.
The sports drink has recently been introduced to the Middle East market by Provident International and ChampionLyte Beverages is hoping to use the show, the biggest food exhibition in the world, to expand worldwide distribution of the beverage.
ChampionLyte is sweetened with Splenda, the sucralose brand produced by McNeil Nutritionals. The company, whose original product line consisted of 'old-fashioned' syrups, now available in sugar-free varieties, recently reformulated the drink to contain no sugar or sorbitol, saccharin, aspartame or caffeine. Said to replace electrolytes, especially after exercise, without the sugar which would cause weight gain, it will be aimed at the growing numbers of weight-conscious consumers.
Facing bankruptcy this time last year, new president of the firm Donna Bimbo, formerly with the Snapple Beverage Group, said the company's product is "ripe for world distribution and there's no better venue than Anuga to get global exposure".