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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 (sometimes 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 July 9, 1982 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 U.S. in 1983; however, 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, later switching back and doing without the NutraSweet trademark. Diet Coke from fountain dispensers still contains some saccharin (to extend shelf life).

In other countries, where 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. The introduction of the Splenda-sweetened version of Diet Coke resulted in complaints to bottlers, with store shelves often holding very little of the normal version of Diet Coke.

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, athletes, 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.

Brand portfolio

• In the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia it is called Diet Coke.
• In most of Europe, including Germany and Italy, the drink is marketed as Coca-Cola Light, but often referred to as Cola. Coca-Cola has tried to discourage the use of this generic term, and commercials refer only to "Coke Light" or "Coca-Cola Light."
• In France and Italy, it is referred as Coca Light.
• In French-speaking Canada it is called Coke Diète.
• In Puerto Rico and Spanish-speaking United States it is called Coca-Cola de Dieta (a translation of "Diet Coca-Cola").
• In Italy, the name Diet Coke was used until the late 1990s.
• In Latin America, it is called Coca-Cola Light.
• In many English-influenced non-English markets including Israel, it is called Diet Coca-Cola.
• In Japan it has been called No Calorie Coca-Cola since April 2007

Advertising slogans for U.S.A.

• "The time is right" (1982) The band Devo served as spokespersons for just 1982
• "Just for the taste of it!" (1983)
• "The one of a kind" (1984)
• "Just for the taste of it!" (1985)
• "Taste it all!" (1993)
• "This Is Refreshment" (1994)
• "Just for the taste of it!" (1995)
• "You are what you drink" (1997)
• "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)

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. One of the chemicals produced by aspartame after ingestion is methanol. It should be noted that 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.

An article published in The Independent on 27 May 2007 highlights the dangers of sodium benzoate in soft drinks. According to the article, the sodium benzoate combines with the ascorbic acid(vitamin C, E300)in the drink to form benzene, a carcinogen. (See main article: Benzene in soft drinks for more.) Concerning the combination of sodium benzoate and citric acid, The Coca-Cola Company has reformulated its products so that the risk of forming carcinogens inside of soft drinks is eliminated.

Also, the sodium benzoate was found to break down mitochondrial DNA in living yeast cells.

"Large amounts" of aspartame is considered over 30 cans a day without fail.

Ingredients

The ingredients in Diet Coke are listed in order of greatest to least amount:

• Carbonated Water
• Caramel Color
• Aspartame
• Phosphoric Acid
• Potassium Benzoate (to protect taste)
• Natural Flavors
• Citric Acid
• Caffeine

See also

• Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption - It is possible to cause a sudden high-pressure release of carbon dioxide by inserting multiple Mentos into a container of Diet Coke. MythBusters found this is caused because of nucleation as well as certain catalysts in the Diet Coke and Mentos themselves. The phenomenon is described in some detail by the General Chemistry Online! FAQ, which also attributes it to nucleation.

• Dolce & Gabbana - A non-alcoholic drink made with Diet Coke and Grenadine which tastes like Cherry Coke but has fewer calories.

References

1. ^ Suit Alleges Deceit in Fountain Diet Cola Drinks
2. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/28/health/webmd/main712605.shtml
3. ^ http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/8711/8711.pdf
4. ^ http://home.howstuffworks.com/question536.htm
5. ^ http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0804226.html
6. ^ Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health from The Independent
7. ^
8. ^ Why Do Mentos Mints Foam When You Drop Them into Soda Pop?