Editing Splenda (section)

==Marketing controversy==
In 2006, [[Merisant]], the maker of [[Equal (sweetener)|Equal]], filed suit against McNeil Nutritionals in [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania|U.S. District Court, Philadelphia]], alleging that Splenda's tagline; "made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar" is misleading. McNeil argued during the trial that it had never deceived consumers or set out to deceive them, since the product is in fact made from sugar. Merisant asked that McNeil be ordered to surrender profits and modify its advertising. The case ended with an agreement reached outside of court, with undisclosed settlement conditions.<ref>Browning, Lynnley (May 12, 2007) [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/12/business/media/12splenda.html?ex=1336622400&en=8f48609f972bc31d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Artificial Sweetener Makers Reach Settlement on Slogan], ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> In 2004, Merisant filed a complaint with the [[Better Business Bureau]] regarding McNeil's advertising. McNeil alleged that Merisant's complaint was in retaliation for a ruling in federal court in [[Puerto Rico]], which forced Merisant to stop packaging Equal in packages resembling Splenda's. McNeil filed suit in Puerto Rico seeking a ruling which would declare its advertising to not be misleading. Following Merisant's lawsuit in Philadelphia, McNeil agreed to a jury trial and to the dismissal of its lawsuit in Puerto Rico. However, on May 11, 2007, the parties reached a settlement on the case, the terms of which were not disclosed.<ref name="WSJ"/>

In 2007, Merisant France prevailed in the Commercial Court of Paris against subsidiaries of McNeil Nutritionals LLC. The court awarded Merisant $54,000 in damages and ordered the defendants to cease advertising claims found to violate French [[consumer protection]] laws, including the slogans; "because it comes from sugar, sucralose tastes like sugar" and "With sucralose: comes from sugar and tastes like sugar".<ref>Heller, Lorraine (May 14, 2007) [http://www.foodnavigator.com/Legislation/Splenda-ad-slogans-banned-in-France Splenda ad slogans banned in France], ''[[Food Navigator]]''</ref>

A Sugar Association complaint to the [[Federal Trade Commission]] stated that "Splenda is not a natural product. It is not cultivated or grown and it does not occur in nature."<ref>[http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/news/11-02-06-splenda_ads_condemned.html Splenda Ads Condemned as Misleading to Consumers by International Advertising Boards, Sugar Farmers and Processors], Sugar Association Press Release, November 2, 2006</ref> McNeil Nutritionals, the manufacturer of Splenda, has responded that its "advertising represents the products in an accurate and informative manner and complies with applicable advertising rules in the countries where Splenda brand products are marketed."<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna15533454 Sugar industry files complaint over Splenda], [[Reuters]] (''[[NBC News]]''), Nov. 2, 2006</ref>