ATLANTA – Coca-Cola launched a new ad campaign to defend the safety of artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame.

The print ad began running in USA Today in the Atlanta area on Wednesday, followed by the Atlanta Journal Constitution today and the Chicago Tribune next week. The ad says that diet drinks can help people manage their weight and stresses the scientific evidence showing the safety of aspartame, which is more commonly known under the NutraSweet brand name, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Caren Pasquale Seckler, vice president of social commitment at Coca-Cola, told the newspaper that the goal of the ad is to dispel confusion around diet sweeteners, and that the company will gauge the response in Atlanta and Chicago before expanding the campaign. "This is a beginning and it's a learning process, but we do have plans to do more," she said.

Earlier this month, Coke distributed a fact sheet on aspartame to its bottlers noting that the sweetener is used in thousands of products. A document called the "Skinny on Aspartame" was also posted on its "Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness" website for health-care professionals.