Diet Coke
Diet Coke (also branded as Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Diet or Coca-Cola Light Taste) is a sugar-free and low-calorie soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. It contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Unveiled on July 8, 1982,[1] and introduced in the United States one month later,[2] it was the first new brand since Coca-Cola's creation in 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. The product quickly overtook the company's existing diet cola, Tab, in sales.
For the Pusha T song, see Diet Coke (song).Type
United States
August 9, 1982
See below
Sales[edit]
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 kJ) compared to 142 kilocalories (595 kJ) for a regular can of Coca-Cola.[6]
Sweeteners[edit]
Diet Coke in the US was sweetened with aspartame, an artificial sweetener that became available in the United States in 1983.[7] Early on, to reduce costs, this was blended 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 aspartame. Diet Coke from fountain dispensers still contains some saccharin to extend shelf life.[8]
According to the Coca-Cola Company, the sweetener blend is "formulated for each country based on consumer preference".[9] Cyclamates were banned in the US in 1970;[10][11] in countries where they are permitted Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Light may be sweetened with a blend containing aspartame, cyclamates, and acesulfame potassium.
