Cola Products Add Vitamins to Beverages
Cola Companies Market Sodas With Vitamins and Minerals
Jul 30, 2008
In order to compete with popular beverages that promote a healthy lifestyle, like Glaceau’s Vitamin Water and Smart Water, Gatorade’s Propel Fitness Water, and other bottled green and white teas, The Coca-Cola Company has added vitamins and minerals to their original Diet Coke. PepsiCo also launched Tava, their line of sparkling beverages infused with vitamins and minerals.
The Coca-Cola Company’s Diet Coke Plus
Diet Coke Plus hit the market in April of 2007, creating yet another addition to the Diet Coke clan. Along with the original Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Diet Cherry Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, and Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda, Diet Coke Plus contains the same great taste of the other calorie-free refreshing beverages, with the addition of unique ingredients. The ‘plus’ is an addition of vitamins B3, or Niacin, Vitamins B6 and B12, and minerals zinc and magnesium.
"Consumers, including Diet Coke drinkers, are increasingly looking for more beverage options, and we wanted to offer them the convenience of a calorie-free beverage that is a good source of several essential vitamins and minerals, and one that delivers on the great taste that they have come to expect from us," said Katie Bayne, Senior Vice President of Coca-Cola Brands, Coca-Cola North America on the Diet Coke Plus press release in March of 2007.
The idea behind Diet Coke Plus is that consumers can still enjoy their favorite diet cola, while reaping the benefits that it can provide for them.
PepsiCo's Tava
Close behind The Coca-Cola Company was PepsiCo and their launch of Tava, a line of sparkling beverages that contain vitamins and minerals. Tava includes vitamins B3, B6 and E and chromium and comes in three different flavors; Mediterranean Fiesta, Brazilian Samba and Tahitian Tamure.
"We want to reinvent carbonated soft drinks," said John Compton, President of PepsiCo in an article by Tiffany Chaparro titled Healthy Soda? Coca-Cola and PepsiCo introduce soft drinks with vitamins.
How Healthy Are They
While some may scoff at the idea of a healthy soda, others seem to think that it could be a positive change to fountain sodas. Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C. stated to Andrew Martin of The New York Times, that although it is a better idea to get nutrients from fruits and vegetables, the enriched soft drinks are healthier than regular soft drinks.
While Diet Coke Plus and Tava may not provide your complete daily dose of vitamins and minerals, these sparkling beverages may be changing the way that people view fountain sodas and could possibly, when consumed in moderation, could be a popular addition to the healthy lifestyle.
