Coca-Cola C2 (also referred to as Coke C2, C2 Cola, or simply C2) was a cola-flavored beverage introduced by The Coca-Cola Company first in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, then later on June 7, 2004 in the United States (and shortly thereafter, Canada), in response to the low-carbohydrate diet trend. This Coke product was marketed as having half the

carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or may ...

, sugars and calories compared to standard Coca-Cola. It contained

aspartame Aspartame is an artificial non-saccharide sweetener 200 times sweeter than sucrose and is commonly used as a sugar substitute in foods and beverages. It is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide with the trade names ...

, acesulfame potassium, and

sucralose Sucralose is an artificial sweetener and sugar substitute. The majority of ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body, so it is noncaloric. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number E955. It is produced by chlorination of ...

in addition to the high fructose corn syrup typically found in cola beverages distributed in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Aside from the high fructose corn syrup, one 12- ounce can of Coca-Cola C2 contains 19 mg of

, 4 mg of

and 19 mg of acesulfame potassium. The packaging design differs from other Coke products in that the logos are printed in black. For marketing on radio and television, and movie theaters the Queen song " I Want to Break Free" was used. When it was first introduced, though, The Rolling Stones song " You Can't Always Get What You Want" was used. Various

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

drivers ran paint schemes in the 2004 Pepsi 400 race to promote the new drink. American sales did not live up to early expectations mainly due to customer disinterest in a mid-calorie soda, and partly due to the success of Coca-Cola Zero, a zero-calorie version of Coca-Cola; however, Coca-Cola said the brand would remain in its lineup, even while Pepsi discontinued its equivalent product, Pepsi Edge, in late 2005, just one year after its introduction.Coke shaken by low-carb failure
''The Guardian'', 7 Jan 2005 Many store shelves completely replaced the product with Coca-Cola Zero due to display, shelving and storage limitations, and with the introduction of Coca-Cola Cherry Zero, the product disappeared from all store shelves where it had previously remained, and in 2013, it was replaced by Coca-Cola Life, which was marketed for using

Stevia Stevia () is a natural sweetener and sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the plant species ''Stevia rebaudiana'', native to Paraguay and Brazil. The active compounds are steviol glycosides (mainly stevioside and rebaudioside), which h ...

as opposed to artificial sweeteners.

References

{{Diet sodas Diet drinks Coca-Cola cola brands Products introduced in 2004 Discontinued soft drinks Products and services discontinued in 2007

See also

References