Equal

[instrumental music] In the last episode, Cumberland Packing used the US ban on cyclamates to turn Sweet'N Low into the leading tabletop sugar substitute.

But then Donald Rumsfeld helped aspartame escape regulatory quicksand and become the new market leader under the brands NutraSweet and Equal.

Now, fraud threatens to destroy Cumberland from within, but there's an even bigger threat coming, a newcomer called Splenda, and it's about to upend the entire market.

This is episode two: Sweet Goes Sour.

Cumberland has just launched a new zero-calorie sugar substitute called Sweet One.

It's made with a different chemical than Sweet'N Low, something called acesulfame K.

And Monsanto, the company behind competitors NutraSweet and Equal, isn't happy, but not because of what's in the packet.

It's upset about the packaging.

But then cyclamates got banned on the back of a now-debunked study.

And ever since, artificial sweeteners have been loved and distrusted in equal measure.

So what does it take for sugar substitutes like Sweet'N Low, Equal, and Splenda to thrive when scientists, regulators, and health-conscious consumers continually threaten ruin? It takes cunning because the sugar substitute business is anything but sweet.

It's a world of backroom deals in DC, fraudsters infiltrating factories, manipulation of public perception, and bitter courtroom showdowns.

This is episode one, "Attack of the Cancer Rats." [instrumental music] By 1977, Sweet'N Low manufacturer Cumberland Packing is the sugar substitute king.

But whatever happens next, at least it'll be an honest fight decided by the man and the woman on the street, not here in this room.

So, uh, I thank you for this generous offer, but it's not for us." [instrumental music plays] In 1982, having failed to buy Sweet'N Low, Searle brings aspartame to market, but under two different names.

If you're a consumer reaching for a packet to sweeten your coffee, it's called Equal.