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PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi on Thursday defended the company’s decision to bring back aspartame-sweetened Diet Pepsi, while also selling an aspartame-free version. When quizzed about the recently announced move on an earnings call she predicted it would be a “net positive for us.” But she also conceded that the company misread the attachment of some consumers to the aspartame version.

“When we launched Diet Pepsi aspartame-free, it’s because there was a huge consumer need for that product,” she said. “What we did not anticipate is that there’s a group of consumers that absolutely loved the original Diet Pepsi. And in the cola category in particular, because it’s been optimized over years, people get incredibly fastidious about their products and don’t want to have any changes.”

PepsiCo yanked aspartame from Diet Pepsi late last year amid consumer health concerns about the much-maligned sweetener. But in the wake of accelerating sales declines, the company in late June announced it is bringing back the aspartame version beginning in September. It will be marketed as Diet Pepsi “Classic Sweetener Blend,” while the aspartame-free version will remain on shelves as the flagship diet cola.

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