Holland Sweetner versus Monsanto

Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetner marketed by Monsanto under the name of NutraSweet. It was a major impetus to the rapid growth of Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi during the 1980s and 1990s. A scientist at the G. D. Serle & Co. first discovered aspartame in 1965; Serle received a patent for the product in 1970. US regulators did not approve its use in soft drinks until 1983. In 1985, Monsanto acquired Serle—and with it a monopoly on aspartame. Monsanto’s patents expired in 1987 and 1992 in Europe and the United States, respectively.