Diet Coke (also known as Diet Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light or Coke Light; the latter two are usually found in European countries) is a sugar-free soft drink produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company. It was first introduced in the United States on August 9, 1982, as the first new brand since 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. INC
Sweeteners[]
Diet Coke was sweetened with aspartame after the sweetener became available in the United States in 1983; to save money, this was originally in a blend with saccharin. 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.
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.
Variants[]
Name | Launched | Discontinued | Notes | Picture |
---|---|---|---|---|
Diet Coke | 1982 | The first version of Coca-Cola without sugar. | ||
Caffeine-Free Diet Coke | 1983 | The first version of caffeine-free Diet Coke and the first extension of the Diet Coke formula. | ||
Diet Cherry Coke/Diet Coke Cherry | 1986 | Australia: 2007
Israel: 2023 |
Available in the U.S. AND THE U.K. (as of 2023)
Discontinued in Australia in 2007 & In Israel in 2023 |
|
Diet Coke with Lemon | 2001 | 2005 in the USA | Only 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. Was available for a time in Australia. | |
Diet Vanilla Coke/Diet Coke Vanilla | 2002 | 2005 in the USA | Only available in Hong Kong, New Zealand (only 300mL and 600mL), Australia, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. | |
Diet Coke with Lime | 2004 | 2018 | Available in the U.S., the U.K., Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Was available for a time in Australia. | |
Diet Raspberry Coke | June 1, 2005 | 2006 | Only available in New Zealand, and Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda | 2005 | 2011 | Sweetened with Splenda. Diet Coke with Splenda contains 2.83 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce. The drink contains acesulfame potassium; aspartame was used previously as sweetener. | |
Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla | 2006 | 2007 | Only available in the USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina. | |
Coca-Cola Light Sango | 2005 | Only available in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
Diet Coke with Citrus Zest | 2007 | Only available in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the United Kingdom. | ||
Diet Coke Plus | 2007 | 2011 | Available in many European countries, U.S. and Brazil | |
Diet Coke Ginger Lime | 2018 | 2021 | Available in U.S. |