Coca-Cola Life Goes Green, Activists See Red

This week brought the news that Coca-Cola will be launching a reduced-sugar version of their iconic brand in the U.K. under the name Coca-Cola Life. Beverage Digest reported that the product will also be introduced into the U.S. market in the same time frame, September or October of this year.

Coca-Cola Life was first introduced in Argentina and Chile in 2013. The product is sweetened with a combination of stevia and sugar, instead of high fructose corn syrup. As compared to the classic red Coca-Cola with 139 calories, a can of Coca-Cola Life has 89 calories. The company announced its plans for the UK, saying that it will help them meet their obligations under a voluntary anti-obesity program of the British government known as the responsibility deal.

Anti-sugar activists see nothing good in any of this. Scientific director Aseem Malhotra of Action on Sugar said:

Whatever the company says, this is a product with a high sugar content and it will encourage people to have a sweet tooth. Companies like Coca-Cola have no interest whatsoever in public health.

The president of Coca-Cola Europe presented a different view:

We were early signatories to the UK government’s responsibility deal and, as we work with others across society to address the public health challenge of obesity in the UK and across Europe, we will continue to take actions that help people balance their lifestyles.

“There are only two kinds of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous.” — Blaise Pascal

Click here to read more from the Guardian and here to read more from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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