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Diet Coke (also branded as Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Diet or Coca-Cola Light Taste) is a
sugar-free A sugar substitute is a food additive that provides a sweetness like that of sugar while containing significantly less food energy than sugar-based sweeteners, making it a zero-calorie () or low-calorie sweetener. Artificial sweeteners may b ...
and low-calorie
soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common t ...
produced and distributed by
the Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups ...
. It contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Unveiled on July 8, 1982, and introduced in the United States on August 9, 1982, it was the first new brand since 1886 to use the
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...
trademark. The product quickly overtook the company's existing diet cola, Tab (which was discontinued in 2020), in sales.


History

When diet colas first entered the market, beginning with
Diet Rite Diet Rite is an American brand of no-calorie soft drinks that was originally distributed by the RC Cola company. History Diet Rite was introduced in 1958 and initially released as a dietetic product, but was introduced nationwide and markete ...
, the Coca-Cola Company had a long-standing policy to use the Coca-Cola name only on its flagship cola, and so its diet cola was named Tab when it was released in 1963. Its rival
Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...
had no such qualms, and after the long-term success of its sugar-free Diet Pepsi (launched in 1964) became clear, Coca-Cola decided to launch a competing sugar-free brand under the Coca-Cola name that could be marketed more easily than Tab. Diet Coke was launched in 1982 and quickly overtook Tab in sales by a wide margin, though the older drink would remain on the market for decades until the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
forced Coca-Cola to discontinue Tab along with other slower-selling drinks in 2020. Diet Coke is not based on the Coca-Cola formula, but instead on Tab. The controversial
New Coke New Coke was the unofficial name of a reformulation of the soft drink Coca-Cola, introduced by The Coca-Cola Company in April 1985. It was renamed Coke II in 1990 and discontinued in July 2002. By 1985, Coca-Cola had been losing market share to ...
, introduced in 1985, used a version of the Diet Coke recipe that contained high-fructose corn syrup and had a slightly different balance of ingredients. In 2005, the company introduced Coca-Cola Zero (renamed Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in 2017), a sugar-free formula more closely based on original Coca-Cola. In 2005, under pressure from retailer
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
(which was impressed with the over-the-counter popularity of Splenda sweetener), the company released a new formulation called "Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda".
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 ...
and acesulfame potassium replaced aspartame in this version. As the formulation was done to mollify one retailer, this variety had little advertising and promotion, as the company preferred to market Coca-Cola Zero instead. By late 2009, most distributors had stopped distributing the Splenda-formulated Diet Coke. In 2018, in an effort to be more appealing to
millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 20 ...
, Diet Coke was packaged in a taller, more slender can (of the same volume) and introduced four new flavors. The cans reverted to the conventional shape a year later.


Sales

Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi have capitalized on the markets of people who require low sugar regimens, such as diabetics and people concerned with calorie intake. In the UK, a 330 ml can of Diet Coke contains around 1.3 kilocalories (5 kilojoules) compared to 142 kilocalories (595 kJ) for a regular can of Coca-Cola.


Sweeteners

Diet Coke in the US was sweetened with
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 na ...
, an artificial sweetener, after the sweetener became available in the United States in 1983. Early on, to save money, this was also originally in a blend with saccharin. After
Diet Rite Diet Rite is an American brand of no-calorie soft drinks that was originally distributed by the RC Cola company. History Diet Rite was introduced in 1958 and initially released as a dietetic product, but was introduced nationwide and markete ...
cola advertised its 100 percent use of aspartame, and the manufacturer of NutraSweet (then G. D. Searle & Company) warned that the NutraSweet trademark would not be made available to a blend of sweeteners, Coca-Cola switched the formula to 100 percent aspartame. Diet Coke from fountain dispensers still contains some saccharin to extend shelf life. According to the Coca-Cola Company, the sweetener blend is "formulated for each country based on consumer preference". In countries in which cyclamates are not banned (as they were in the US in 1970), Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Light may be sweetened with a blend containing aspartame, cyclamates, and acesulfame potassium.


Brand portfolio


Product timeline

* 1982 – Diet Coke is introduced, becoming the largest-selling low-calorie soft drink in America. * 1983 – Diet Coke is introduced in the UK. * 1986 – Diet Cherry Coke is introduced in American markets. * 1994 – Diet Coke changes logo. * 1999 – Diet Cherry Coke changes logo. * 2001 – Diet Coke with Lemon is introduced. * 2002 – Diet Vanilla Coke is introduced. ** Diet Coke and Diet Cherry Coke change logo. * 2004 – Diet Coke with Lime is introduced. ** Diet Coke with Lemon changes logo. * 2005 – Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda is introduced. ** Diet Cherry Coke and Diet Vanilla Coke change logos and are renamed. * 2006 – Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla is introduced. ** Diet Coke with Lemon and Diet Coke Vanilla are discontinued. * 2007 – Diet Coke Plus is introduced. ** Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla is discontinued. ** Diet Coke and its six flavors changes logo. * 2011 – Diet Coke surpasses Pepsi in sales for the first time to become the second most popular soda in the United States after Coca-Cola. * 2013 – In the UK, Coca-Cola swapped the logo on Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero bottles and cans in the UK with 150 of Britain's most popular names for a summer-long "Share a Coke" campaign. * 2014 – In the US Coca-Cola swapped the logo on Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero bottles and cans in the US with 150 of America's most popular names for a summer-long "Share a Coke" campaign * 2014 – Diet Coke invites consumers to 'Get A Taste' of the good life. This campaign asks the question "what if life tasted this good?". Television commercials debuted September 24. The first commercial take place on an airplane when a woman is surrounded by crying babies but takes a sip of Diet Coke and opens her eyes into a speak-easy party. * 2018 – On January 22, Diet Coke introduced Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango flavors in a skinny can, targeting
millennials Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 20 ...
. * 2019 – Diet Coke added two new flavors, Blueberry Acai and Strawberry Guava to their "Because I Can" Campaign line.


Advertising slogans

* "Just for the taste of it!" (US 1982, 1986, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2009, 2014) * "The one of a kind" (US 1984) * "Taste it all!" (US 1993) * "This Is Refreshment" (US 1994) * "You are what you drink" (US 1998) * "Live Your Life" (US 2001) * "Do what feels good" (US 2002) * "Must be a Diet Coke thing" (US 2004) * "Life is how you take it" (US 2005) * "Light it up!" (US 2006) * "Yours" (US 2007) * "Enjoyment" (US 2007) * "What life should be like." (US 2008) * "Open Happiness" (Worldwide 2009–Present) * "Hello You..." (UK 2009) * "I ''light'' it" (Spain 2010) * "Stay Extraordinary" (US 2010–2014) * "You're On" (US 2014) * "Get a Taste." (US 2014–2018) * "Because I can." (US 2018–present) * "Give yourself a Diet Coke break." (UK 2020) * "Just because." (Worldwide 2021)


Health assessment

The most commonly distributed version of Diet Coke uses
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 na ...
as a sweetener. As one of the most intensively scrutinized food additives, the safety of aspartame has been studied since its discovery. Aspartame has been deemed safe for human consumption by the regulatory agencies of many countries.


See also

*
Diet Coke and Mentos eruption A Diet Coke and Mentos eruption (also known as a soda geyser) is a reaction between the carbonated beverage Diet Coke and Mentos mints that causes the beverage to be expelled from its container. The candies catalyze the release of gas from the ...
* '' Diet Coke Break''


References


External links

* {{Diet sodas Diet drinks Coca-Cola cola brands Products introduced in 1982 Food and drink introduced in the 1980s Caffeinated soft drinks