Diet Coke (also branded asCoca-Cola Light,Coca-Cola Diet orCoca-Cola Light Taste) is asugar-free and low-caloriesoft drink produced and distributed bythe Coca-Cola Company. It containsartificial 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 theCoca-Cola trademark, although Diet Coke is not listed as a Coca-Cola variant on the Coca-Cola Company’s website. The product quickly overtook the company's existing diet cola,Tab, in sales.

Diet Coke

Logo used since December 25, 2017
A can of Diet Coke
Type	Dietcola
Manufacturer	The Coca-Cola Company
Country of origin	United States
Introduced	August 9, 1982; 42 years ago (1982-08-09)
Color	Caramel
Variants	See below
Related products	Coca-Cola Coca-Cola C2 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Tab Diet Pepsi Pepsi Max
Website	dietcoke.com

Whendiet colas first entered the market, beginning withDiet Rite in 1958, the Coca-Cola Company had a long-standing policy to use the Coca-Cola name only on itsflagship cola, and so its diet cola was namedTab when it was released in 1963. Its rivalPepsi had no such qualms, and after the long-term success of its sugar-freeDiet Pepsi (launched in 1964) became clear, Coca-Cola decided to launch a competing sugar-free brand under the Coca-Cola name that could be marketed more easily than Tab. Diet Coke was launched in 1982 and quickly overtook Tab in sales by a wide margin, though the older drink would remain on the market for decades until Coca-Cola discontinued Tab during theCOVID-19 pandemic along with other of the company's slower-selling drinks in 2020.^[3]

Diet Coke is not based on theCoca-Cola formula, but instead on Tab.^{[citation needed]} The controversialNew Coke, introduced in 1985, used a version of the Diet Coke recipe that containedhigh-fructose corn syrup and had a slightly different balance of ingredients. In 2005, the company introducedCoca-Cola Zero (renamed Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in 2017), a sugar-free formula more closely based on original Coca-Cola.

In 2005, under pressure from retailerWalmart (which was impressed with the over-the-counter popularity ofSplenda sweetener), the company released a new formulation called "Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda".^[4]Sucralose andacesulfame potassium replaced aspartame in this version. As the formulation was done to mollify one retailer, this variety had little advertising and promotion, as the company preferred to marketCoca-Cola Zero instead. By late 2009, most distributors had stopped distributing the Splenda-formulated Diet Coke.

In 2018, in an effort to be more appealing tomillennials, Diet Coke was packaged in a taller, more slender can (of the same volume) and introduced four new flavors.^[5] The cans reverted to the conventional shape a year later.

Diet Coke andDiet Pepsi have capitalized on the markets of people who require low sugar regimens, such asdiabetics 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]

Diet Coke in the U.S. was sweetened withaspartame, an artificial sweetener that became available in the United States in 1983.^[7] Early on, to reduce costs, this was blended withsaccharin. AfterDiet Rite cola advertised its 100 percent use of aspartame, and the manufacturer ofNutraSweet (thenG. 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 U.S. 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, andacesulfame potassium.

• 1982 – Diet Coke is introduced, becoming the largest-selling low-calorie soft drink in America.
• 1983 – Diet Coke is introduced in the UK.
• 1986 – Diet Cherry Coke is introduced in American markets.
• 1994 – Diet Coke changes logo.
• 1999 – Diet Cherry Coke changes logo.
• 2001 – Diet Coke with Lemon is introduced.
• 2002 – Diet Vanilla Coke is introduced.
  • Diet Coke and Diet Cherry Coke change logo.
• 2004 – Diet Coke with Lime is introduced.
  • Diet Coke with Lemon changes logo.
• 2005 – Diet Coke sweetened withSplenda is introduced.
  • Diet Cherry Coke and Diet Vanilla Coke change logos and are renamed.
• 2006 – Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla is introduced.
  • Diet Coke with Lemon and Diet Coke Vanilla are discontinued.
• 2007 – Diet Coke Plus is introduced.^[13][14]
  • Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla is discontinued.
  • Diet Coke and its six flavors changes logo.
• 2011 – Diet Coke surpasses Pepsi in sales for the first time to become the second most popular soda in the United States after Coca-Cola.^[15]
• 2013 – In the UK, Coca-Cola swapped the logo on Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero bottles and cans in the UK with 150 of Britain's most popular names for a summer-long "Share a Coke" campaign.^[16][17]
• 2014 – In the U.S. Coca-Cola swapped the logo on Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero bottles and cans in the US with 150 of America's most popular names for a summer-long "Share a Coke" campaign
• 2014 – Diet Coke invites consumers to 'Get A Taste' of the good life. This campaign asks the question "what if life tasted this good?". Television commercials debuted September 24. The first commercial take place on an airplane when a woman is surrounded by crying babies but takes a sip of Diet Coke and opens her eyes into a speak-easy party.
• 2018 – On January 22, Diet Coke introduced Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango flavors in a skinny can, targetingmillennials.^[18]
• 2019 – Diet Coke added two new flavors, Blueberry Acai and Strawberry Guava to their "Because I Can" Campaign line.^[19]

• "Give yourself a Diet Coke break." (UK 2020)
• "Just because." (Worldwide 2021)

The most commonly distributed version of Diet Coke usesaspartame as a sweetener. As one of the most intensively scrutinized food additives, the safety of aspartame has been studied since its discovery.^[36] Aspartame has been deemed safe for human consumption by the regulatory agencies of many countries.^[36]

• Diet Coke and Mentos eruption
• Diet Coke Break
• Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
• Diet Pepsi

•   Media related toDiet Coke at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website