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The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of zero-calorie sweeteners made from the natural herb stevia for use in food and beverages.

As a result, Coca-Cola North America is launching Sprite Green, which uses a form of stevia called Truvia, co-developed with Cargill Inc, and two Odwalla juice drinks using Truvia.

Sprite Green has 50 calories per 8.5oz serving and 5% lemon juice. It will be aimed at active young adults and launched in two unnamed US cities this month in 8.5oz aluminium bottles.

PepsiCo will also launch new products with the approved sweetener, including three zero-calorie SoBe Lifewater flavours: Fuji Apple Pear, Black and Blue Berry and Yumberry Pomegranate.

The products will be in stores this year, the company told The New York Times. PepsiCo will also launch Trop 50, a light orange juice with 50% less sugar and calories than regular Tropicana orange juice. Both products will feature the stevia-sweetener PureVia, made by Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merisant. According to Reuters, Trop 50 will make its retail debut in March.

Cargill, which is marketing the sweetener Truvia from Coca-Cola, said on Wednesday that it had received notification from the FDA that it had no objection to the product, calling it “generally recognised as safe".

"Given the extensive research conducted to assure the safety of Truvia Rebiana, Cargill has tremendous confidence in the product," said Marcelo Montero, President, Cargill Health & Nutrition. "The FDA letter further validates what the science has concluded – that Truvia rebiana is safe for use for all consumers. The FDA brought the appropriate rigour to the process and we are extremely pleased with the news."

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food safety watchdog group, has said that while Merisant's and Cargill's scientific research was sound, the FDA should do further testing on stevia, which is derived from a bush native to South America.