All those ridiculous claims that the anything but natural Splenda is "made from sugar" will finally be tested, starting next week in a federal court in Philadelphia. Even more interesting is the plaintiff in the lawsuit: Merisant Co., the makers of Equal (aspartame).

Prompting the court action, according to this awesome New York Times piece, is the McNeil Nutritionals product taking a commanding lead in the $1.5 billion artificial sweetener industry largely due to patently false claims its rival, Equal, mocks as urban myths.

I suspect even the judge presiding over the case has doubts about Splenda's claims based on an opinion he issued last month: "For example, McNeil claims that 'made from sugar' clearly excludes the interpretation that Splenda is sugar, or that Splenda is made with sugar. Drawing upon an often effective rhetorical device, McNeil asks the question, how could a consumer interpret a product that is ‘made from sugar’ and ‘tastes like sugar’ as actually being sugar?"

Also prompting the fight, Splenda generated U.S. sales of more than $200 million, more than four times greater than that of Equal, and commands 62 percent of the American market. What's more, all sorts of processed foods are using Splenda over Equal these days, even products you'd never expect.

Learn the true facts behind the toxicity of artificial sweeteners like Splenda -- better for getting rid of mosquitoes than cooking -- by taking a look at my latest book, Sweet Deception.