10 Dec 07 Vitamin Enriched Soda

Coca Cola was launched as a medicine in the 19th century but it hasn’t been celebrated for its health-giving properties in quite a while.

New out – Diet Coke Plus – containing a choice of either vitamins or antioxidants. Aimed at health-conscious women, the bottles are pictured with colour-coded accessories and touted as “a guilt-free highlight of your day – just like smoothing on some luxurious moisturising cream”. Oh Please.

It is the next step by soft-drinks companies trying to diversify into healthier lines, which began with the “diet” ranges, then developed into a stampede to sell us exciting new types of bottled water, like Coca Cola and Pepsico selling bottled tap water.

Diet Coke with antioxidants, however, is a bold step beyond. Will it appeal to those who frequent health food stores? Unlikely. Most will probably be averse to the sweeteners (a blend of aspartame, acesulfame K and sodium saccharine) and flavorings it contains.

A UK nutrition scientist Lisa Miles warns: “We do need to be careful we are not encouraging people to see these foods as a quick fix to compensate for a poor diet.”

Expect to see much more of this kind of thing, though.

Beware of these claims though. For example, “Vitamin-enriched” Sunny Delight omits to mention its sugar content.

Even water is no longer as pure and simple as it was. V Water offers a range loaded with vitamins said to cure hangovers and stress, while a “new cosmaceutical spring water” called Beauty is on the way, containing “a bioactive protein rich in lactoferrin”, and claiming to reduce redness and blemished skin.

I think most of it is pure marketing bullshit. Glass of tap water, anyone?

Tags: acesulfame k, aspartame, blemished skin, bold step, bottled tap water, conscious women, diet coke, flavorings, hangovers, health food stores, lisa miles, medicine in the 19th century, moisturising cream, nutrition scientist, poor diet, sodium saccharine, soft drinks companies, sugar content, sunny delight, water diet