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Diet Coke

Type	Diet Cola
Manufacturer	The Coca-Cola Company
Country of origin	United States
Introduced	1982
Variants	Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Diet Coke with Lemon, Diet Coke with Lime, Diet Raspberry Coke, Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke, Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda, Diet Coke Plus
Related products	Coca-Cola Coca-Cola C2 Coca-Cola Zero TaB

Diet Coke (also known as Diet Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola light or Coke Light) is a sugar-free soft drink produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced in the United States on Independence Day in 1982^[1] as the first new brand since 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. The product quickly overtook Tab in sales.

Diet Coke was sweetened with aspartame after the sweetener became available in the United States in 1983^[2]; to save money, this was originally in a blend with saccharin. After Diet Rite 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 NutraSweet. After many years the NutraSweet trademark expired^{[citation needed]}, but the formula is still made with 100 percent aspartame. Diet Coke from fountain dispensers still contains some saccharin to extend shelf life.^[3]

Coca-Cola light logo

In other countries, in which cyclamates are not banned (as they were in the U.S. and the United Kingdom in 1970), Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Light may be sweetened with a blend containing cyclamates, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium.

In 2005, under pressure from retailer Wal-Mart (which was impressed with the popularity of Splenda sweetener), the company released a new formulation called "Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda". Sucralose and acesulfame potassium replace aspartame in this version. Early sales were weaker than anticipated; however, Coca-Cola did little advertising for the brand, investing money and advertising in Coca-Cola Zero instead. By late 2009, some distributors had stopped supplying Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda.^[4]

Diet Coke does not use a modified form of the Coca-Cola recipe, but instead an entirely different formula. The controversial New Coke, 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 2004, Coca-Cola introduced Coca-Cola C2, which it claims tastes much closer to Coca-Cola but contains half the carbohydrates. In 2005, the company introduced Coca-Cola Zero, a sugar-free variation of regular Coca-Cola.

When Tab was released in 1963, the Coca-Cola Company refused to release a diet soda with the Coca-Cola name, fearing that its flagship brand might suffer. Its rival Pepsi 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, which could be marketed more extensively than the more anonymous Tab.

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 calories (5 kilojoules) compared to 142 calories (595 kJ) for a regular can of Coca-Cola.

A 2009 Diet Coke bottle and can from the US.

A Diet Coke can from 1994 compared to one from 2009.

Diet Coke's Holiday 2008 Edition bottle and can compared to regular ones.

Coca-Cola light bottle from Germany.

Brand portfolio

Name	Launched	Discontinued	Notes	Picture
Diet Coke/Diet Coca-Cola	1982		The first version of Coca-Cola without sugar.
Caffeine-Free Diet Coke	1983		The first version of caffeine free version of Diet Coke and the first extension of the Diet Coke formula.
Diet Cherry Coke/Diet Coke Cherry	1986		Available in U.S. and United Kingdom (as of 2007). Discontinued in Australia and Israel.
Diet Coke with Lemon	2001		Still available in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and Israel. The version sold in Continental Europe uses the Coca-Cola Light brand.
Diet Vanilla Coke/Diet Coke Vanilla	2002		only available in Hong Kong, New Zealand (only 300mL and 600mL), Australia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Diet Coke with Lime	2004		Available in the U.S., Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Diet Raspberry Coke	June 1, 2005	2006	Available in New Zealand, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda	2005		Available in the U.S. and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla	2006	2007	Available in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Coca-Cola Light Sango	2005		Only available in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Diet Coke with Citrus Zest	2007		Available in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the United Kingdom.
Diet Coke Plus/Coca Cola Light plus	2007		Available in many European countries, U.S and Brazil

• In the United States and most English-speaking countries, the soft drink is called Diet Coke or Diet Coca-Cola.
• In most of continental Europe, the drink is marketed as Coca-Cola Light, but often referred to as Cola or Cola Light, and Coca or Coca Light in France.
• In French-speaking Canada, it is called Coca-Cola Diète or Coke-Diète.
• In Italy, the name Diet Coke was used between 1983 and 1991.
• In Mexico, Central, South America and most of the Caribbean it is called Coca-Cola Light. In Mexico, it was introduced as Diet Coke in 1984, but it was renamed Coca-Cola Light in 1991.
• In Brazil, it is called Coca-Cola Light - Baixas Calorias. Introduced in 1985 as Coca-Cola Baixas Calorias, it was renamed Coca-Cola Light in 1988.
• In many English-influenced non-English markets (e.g., Israel), it is called Diet Coca-Cola.
• In Japan, the soft drink was launched in 1984 as Coca-Cola Light, later in 1999, it was renamed Diet Coca-Cola, and since April 2007 it has been called No Calorie Coca-Cola.
• In India it is called Diet Coke. After much campaigning against Coca-Cola in India, Coca-Cola still sells well in Chennai and other cities.
• In most of Southeast Asia, it is called Coca-Cola Light or Coke Light.
• In 2008 in Australia, Diet Coke cans were rebranded as Diet Coca-Cola.
• As of 2009, Diet Coke supports The Heart Truth campaign, a national awareness campaign with a goal of better heart health for women.^[5]

History

• 1983 - Diet Coke introduced, becoming the largest-selling low-calorie soft drink in America.
• 1986 - Diet Coke Cherry introduced in American markets.
• 2001 - Diet Coke with Lemon introduced.
• 2002 - Diet Coke with Vanilla Introduced.
  • Diet Coke's 20th anniversary.
• 2004 - Diet Coke with Lime introduced.
• 2005 - Diet coke sweetened with Splenda Brand Sweetener.
• 2006 - Diet Black cherry Vanilla Coke introduced.
• 2007 - Diet Coke Plus Introduced.^[6][7]

Advertising slogans in the U.S.

The current Diet Coke logo was adopted in 2007

• "Just for the taste of it!" (1982)
• "The one of a kind" (1984)
• "Just for the taste of it!" (1986)
• "Taste it all!" (1993)
• "This Is Refreshment" (1994)
• "Just for the taste of it!" (1995)
• "You are what you drink" (1998)
• "Get the taste of it" (2000)
• "Live Your Life" (2001)
• "Do what feels good" (2002)
• "It's a Diet Coke thing" (2004)
• "Life is how you take it" (2005)
• "Light it up!" (2006)
• "Yours" (2007)
• "Enjoyment" (2007)
• "What life should be like." (2008)
• "Just for the taste of it!" (2009)
• "Hello You..." (UK 2009)
• "StayExtraordinary (2010)

Debate over health issues

The most commonly distributed version of Diet Coke (and majority of beverages using artificial sweeteners) relies on aspartame, which has been blamed by some scientists and medical professionals for possibly causing serious illnesses (such as cancer, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma) when consumed in large quantities^[8][9]. Coca-Cola has now released Diet Coke sweetened with sucralose (also known as Splenda), although it is not as common. See also soft drink controversy and health concerns.

The sodium benzoate was found to break down mitochondrial DNA in living yeast cells.^[10] Research published in 2007 for the British government's Food Standards Agency suggests that sodium benzoate (E211) is linked to hyperactive behavior and decreased intelligence in children. ^[11]

Recent studies conducted at Princeton University state that the artificial sweeteners, such as NutraSweet, that are present in Diet Coke are actually substantually more sweet than natural sugars, making your body crave sugar more, due to the absence of the natural sugar.^[12]

Ingredients

New Zealand

The ingredients as printed on the outside of 330 ml cans of Diet Coke in New Zealand, listed in order of greatest to least amount:

• Carbonated Purified water
• Flavour
• Colour (Caramel 150d)
• Food Acids( 338, 330)
• Sweeteners (951, 950)
• Preservative (211)
• Caffeine

United States

The ingredients in Diet Coke (as formulated in the United States), listed in order of greatest to least amount:^[13]

• Carbonated water
• Caramel color
• Aspartame
• Phosphoric acid
• Potassium benzoate (to protect taste)
• Natural flavors
• Citric acid
• Caffeine

References

External links

• Official site