PepsiCo has plans to re-launch some diet beverages with aspartame in the US to counter dropping sales.

The artificial sweetener was pulled from its product range due to increasing consumer concerns that aspartame has been linked to cancer.

In an email to AFP, PepsiCo spokeswoman Gina Anderson said: "Consumers want choice in diet colas, so we’re refreshing our US lineup to provide three options that meet differing needs and taste preferences.

"Consumers want choice in diet colas, so we’re refreshing our US lineup."

According to data from Beverage Digest, which was cited by Bloomberg News, the sales volume of Diet Pepsi saw a drop of almost 6% in 2015 and around an 11% drop in retail during the first quarter of this year.

Last year, the firm announced that it would replace aspartame with a blend of sucralose and acesulfame potassium in August.

The firm now plans to add aspartame in Diet Pepsi Classic Sweetener Blend and PepsiZeroSugar later this year. However, its primary diet cola product, Diet Pepsi will continue to be sweetened with sucralose and Ace-K.

The US Food and Drug Administration have approved the use of aspartame and sucralose for human consumption. However, as the studies linked the ingredient with cancer, there has been an increasing consumer demand for products without the use of the ingredient.