New SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener Products Give Consumers Added Boost of B Vitamins, Antioxidants or Fiber

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., May 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- These days, consumers are increasingly aware of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients needed to maintain a healthy diet, and they are looking for new and easier ways to meet their recommended daily intake. In an effort to offer consumers products with added nutritional benefits, McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, today announced the launch of SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener Products. This unique line of products from the SPLENDA® Brand includes three smart ways to sweeten: SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener with B Vitamins, SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener with Antioxidants, and previously introduced SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener, 1 gram of Fiber (in packets and granulated form). The premium product line gives consumers a calorie-free way to add a small boost of essential vitamins and nutrients in each packet or teaspoon and a way to add a little more than just 'sweetness' to foods and beverages.

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"Building off the success of our SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener with Fiber product, we're thrilled to launch the new SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ Sweetener Product line, giving consumers an entire line of products that offer additional nutritional benefits, like B vitamins to help support a healthy metabolism," said Fred Tewell, group product director for SPLENDA® Sweetener Products. "Consumers may not focus on getting all their recommended vitamins in a day, but they never forget to sweeten their coffee – these products are all about helping people make small, good-for-you choices each day so that they can get closer to meeting their health goals."

New SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener Products deliver the same great taste to your favorite foods and beverages that SPLENDA® Sweetener Products always have.  However, SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener Products is the first and only line of sweeteners that contains added nutrients in each packet.  

"Fifty-seven percent of American women feel that they don't get the vitamins their bodies need on a daily basis," said registered dietitian Heather Bauer, RD, CDN, referencing a recent survey conducted by SPLENDA® Sweetener Products, with the support of SHAPE magazine. "With the help of the new SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ Sweetener Product line, consumers can get an extra boost of essential nutrients their bodies need from the foods and beverages they already enjoy. By sprinkling a bowl of oatmeal and fresh blueberries with a packet of SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ with B Vitamins instead of sugar, for example, consumers can enjoy the benefits of a sweet taste, fewer calories and increased B vitamins to support a healthy metabolism – all at the same time."

About SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ Sweetener Products

With 20 percent of the Daily Value of vitamins B1 (thiamine), B5 (pantothenic acid) and B6 (pyridoxine), per packet, SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ with B Vitamins has B vitamins to help support a healthy metabolism and the great sweet taste of SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener.

Another new product within the new line, SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ with Antioxidants, can help bring consumers closer to meeting their daily vitamin C and E needs. One packet contains 20 percent of the Daily Value of antioxidant vitamins C and E, like those found in fruits and vegetables.

SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™, 1 gram of Fiber offers one gram of healthy fiber per packet. SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ with Fiber also comes in a granulated form, allowing consumers to get a small boost of fiber while cooking and baking. SPLENDA® with Fiber, Granulated contains three grams of soluble fiber per tablespoon – the same amount of fiber as a half cup of oat bran. (The type of fiber in this product is different than that in oat bran.)

All three varieties of SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener Products are available in 80-count boxes of packets at grocery stores, supermarkets and online at www.SPLENDA.com for a suggested retail price of $4.29. SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ with Fiber is also available in a 1.6 lb carton with a pour spout ($4.99) and a 3 lb resealable bag ($7.49).  

About SPLENDA® Sweetener Products

SPLENDA® Sweetener Products contain sucralose (SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener), the no calorie sweetener that starts with sugar, tastes like sugar, but is not sugar. SPLENDA® Sweetener Products have been safely enjoyed by millions of consumers worldwide, including pregnant and nursing women, children and individuals with diabetes. SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener is the nation's #1 selling branded sweetener and can be used almost anywhere sugar is used, including cooking and baking. The complete line of products includes SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener in packet and granulated form, SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Flavors for Coffee, SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Minis, and now new SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener Products.

SPLENDA® Sweetener Products are marketed by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. For more information on SPLENDA® Sweetener Products or to obtain recipes and tips on cooking and baking with the brand, visit www.SPLENDA.com or call 1-800-7-SPLENDA (1-800-777-5363). Or, for a sweet shopping experience, visit www.Splendidlife.com.

SPLENDA® Sweetener Products has compensated spokesperson Heather Bauer, RD, CDN for her time spent providing resources and expertise to the launch of SPLENDA® ESSENTIALS™ No Calorie Sweetener Products.

About McNeil Nutritionals

McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, is a global marketer of innovative nutritional products. The company's mission is to give people the ability to actively manage their own health. McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, markets SPLENDA® Sweetener Products, VIACTIV® Dietary Supplements, LACTAID® Milk and Dietary Supplements and BENECOL® Products. McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, is headquartered in Fort Washington, PA.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements are based on current expectations of future events.  If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, and/or Johnson & Johnson's expectations and projections.  Risks and uncertainties include general industry conditions and competition; economic conditions, such as interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; technological advances and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approvals; domestic and foreign health care reforms and governmental laws and regulations; and trends toward health care cost containment.  A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Exhibit 99 of Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 2, 2011.  Copies of this Form 10-K, as well as subsequent filings, are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson.  Neither McNeil Nutritionals, LLC, nor Johnson & Johnson undertake to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments.

SOURCE SPLENDA(R) Sweetener Products