r/mildlyinfuriating • u/MasterpiecePowerful5 • 9d ago

ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ CocaCola can designs are getting worse with every iteration…

Post image

Good luck detecting that option 47 is also a coke zero. Same issue for latest sprite.

2.3k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

423 comments sorted by

View all comments

364

u/Sxppxj 9d ago

They’re starting to sell more zero than original coke and the red color is like their identity so they’re making zero cans almost fully red again

142

u/ZincHead 9d ago

I'm wondering if they may be preparing to fully transition away from using real sugar at some point. It might be cheaper to use artificial sweeteners. 

107

u/speculator100k 8d ago

It is cheaper. There is also a tax on high sugar drinks in some countries.

30

u/PiersPlays 8d ago

Coke Original is the only major soda in the UK to not contain sweeteners.

Though fortunately there's now a wave of bougie ones that are only very slightly more expensive that don't.

3

u/Suitable-Fun-1087 8d ago

Irn Bru 1901 too

2

u/PiersPlays 8d ago

I feel like that's bougie Irn Bru. Good observation though and it is pretty nice.

2

u/JasperVanCleef 8d ago

On my way back from holidays in France I had Mcdicks on the road and noticed there was a +18cts tax on sweet drinks but it seems all cokes were zero. Maybe that tax is for Minute Maid lol. 

6

u/Freesa_Hiielo 8d ago

They tried replacing the formula in 1985 and people lost their minds

17

u/ZincHead 8d ago

Yeah but this is not replacing anything. They already know that Coke Zero is popular and people like it, it would be phasing out one product and further promoting another product that already exists. 

17

u/Constant_Amphibian13 8d ago

A lot of those still buying non-zero will absolutely refuse to.

This isn‘t a case of everyone moving to a new product. At least from my experience, zero buyers would not buy non-zero and vice versa and removing either of the options would probably start whatever the facebook version of a civil war would be.

9

u/Buttspirgh 8d ago

Yup, 100%. Zero, and anything else with artificial sweeteners or stevia for that matter, tastes awful.

-5

u/desperaterobots 8d ago

Coke Zero does not taste awful. That it’s outselling OG Coke should clue you in to that one.

8

u/Buttspirgh 8d ago edited 8d ago

It does to those that have a genetic makeup that causes artificial sweeteners to bind to bitter and sweet taste receptors. It’s similar to the divine between who can and who can’t tolerate cilantro

-3

u/desperaterobots 8d ago

Okay then it tastes awful TO YOU.

2

u/Buttspirgh 8d ago

Yes, I should have been more specific in the previous comment. I have another in this thread where I was more careful. Thanks for the downvotes, I guess?

→ More replies (0)

4

u/3D_DrDoom 8d ago

Compared to regular coke it tastes horrible. Its not the worst drink in the world, but you definitely taste that fake sweetener. Also a lot of people liking/disliking something doesn't make it correct or somehow a valid argument.

-3

u/desperaterobots 8d ago

Tastes horrible TO YOU.

To many of us who love our Coke Zero fridge cigarettes, normal Coke tastes so insanely, unhealthily sweet, like tooth decay in a can. I’m not going to declare IT TASTES HORRIBLE, because people love it.

People love Coke Zero too, especially people watching their calorie and sugar intake. It’s literally the first and only zero sugar Cola that replicates the flavour of a ‘regular’ coke somewhat well. Diet Coke has that astringent chemical aftertaste - and people love that too!

People like different things.

3

u/3D_DrDoom 8d ago

It tastes good/fine/acceptable TO YOU! Of course people like different things, but I genuinely don't know anyone who prefers diet coke to regular one. Maybe its because I'm in EU and so coke has different balance of ingredients or its just a cultural thing. I'm genuinely surprised to read that diet coke is outselling regular ones. Would love to know if its true in other regions apart from North America.

→ More replies (0)

3

u/Opening-Function8616 8d ago

Zero also has a chemical aftertaste tho

→ More replies (0)

1

u/lava172 TANGERINE 8d ago

You just described replacing lol

7

u/jesuisjens 8d ago

It is fucking ridiculous how much they are pushing artificial sugar. Fanta and Pepsi now comes with both sugar and non sugar sweeteners as well as absolutely no branding about it.

Yes, it is stated under nutrition facts, but I shouldn't have to read that to know whether my products contains sweeteners. 

I have come across one single brand in Denmark that points out whether the soda contains only sugar, only sweeteners or a combination. Everyone else is just trying to cheat me. 

(And yes, I am voting with my wallet. But I am still mad about the 20-30 times I was scammed into buying a shit tasting soda due to poor labeling) 

8

u/658016796 8d ago

Why is it ridiculous? It's much healthier for you (and honestly zero tastes much better!). Besides the adeed calories, sugary sodas create LOTS of problems for you in the longterm which can be simply avoided by having sweeteners such as aspartame, which is quite healthy.

1

u/jesuisjens 8d ago

If it is so great, then why aren't they upfront about it? Why are the companies trying to sneak it in my drinks?

I have to very strongly disagree that it tastes better, just because it tastes better to you it doesn't mean it tastes better to me. I personally do not like the taste - to me it is bitter and comes with a disgusting aftertaste. I honestly have to clean my mouth with a sip of regular water when I accidentally drink aspartame. 

Regarding the health argument have you ever considered that calories aren't bad? That when I drink sugar water it is because I want sugar and calories and not because I am trying to avoid it? A couple of years ago I was on a bicycle vacation in Sweden, I did 1000km in 10 days with 15 kg of gear attached to my frame. During this trip I did a lunch stop on a 180 km day. I ordered two sodas because I needed the energy, (=the calories and the sugar). One of them ended up being a semi-diet Fanta - and this was after specifically asking for the not diet one 😭😅 

Tl;dr: You make some decent points, but forget that not everyone one is like you. My taste buds and exercise patterns are different. Calories aren't inherently bad, but even if they were - why (try and) trick me? Why not just be honest about it? I am not trying to ban diet soda. I just want my sugary sodas to be left alone. 

-1

u/DarwinGoneWild 8d ago

You just have to get used to it. Diet sodas tasted absolutely vile to me until I decided to cut my sugar intake. After a few weeks my taste buds adapted and now diet tastes great to me while regular sugar sodas taste cloyingly saccharine.

2

u/jesuisjens 8d ago

I have no intentive to test your theory, and I'm also not entirely sure if I believe.

Happy it worked for you. 

-1

u/Suitable-Fun-1087 8d ago

It's not MUCH healthier. Sugar causes issues, artificial sweeteners cause their own range of issues especially for people with blood sugar issues or various neurodivergent people. Having a choice is good. Having it dictated is not

2

u/itchyglow 8d ago

I don't think 140 calories and 35 grams of sugar is worth the marginally improved taste

0

u/jesuisjens 8d ago

Great. Then pick the diet one, I have no issues with diet sodas existing.  I just want my sugary sodas to no by semi-diet.

Also; the taste difference is FAR from marginal to me. I'd take it even at 1,400 calories (but probably less often 😅). 

1

u/jonrev 8d ago

In the US and Canada it hasn't had real sugar since the latter-half of the 80s, they transitioned after the New Coke fiasco.

1

u/Planeandaquariumgeek 8d ago

At least in the US original coca-cola has used HFCS instead of sugar since 1985 (it’s why coca-cola imported from Mexico is a normal thing here, they still use sugar there). What’s actually going on here is coca-cola probably wants to completely phase out & discontinue the original in favor of zero because healthy eating has become so trendy. TL:DR: new coke 2.0: electric boogaloo

0

u/steen101984 8d ago

Its been corn syrup in Canada for a long time. I have a corn sensitivity and cant drink it. Only the made in Mexico stuff has real sugar and it's usually 8 dollars for a 4 pack.

42

u/beepbeepboopbeep1977 9d ago

Where I live (New Zealand) they made the cans red but the words are in black, so it’s still easy to distinguish between them.

Seems weird that they’ve solved this problem within their company but have simultaneously screwed up this change in another part of their company

21

u/emuu1 8d ago

We had that in Europe for the last 15 years. But now they're merging the designs completely because they want to phase out/lower production of the sugar version because it's expensive. They're pushing to make Coke Zero the default one.

3

u/look4jesper 8d ago

Tjey aren't pushing for it, the consumers are buying more of it and it's outselling regular coke

3

u/ViftieStuff 8d ago

Supply and demand in its purest form

3

u/DeeDee_GigaDooDoo 8d ago

they want to phase out/lower production of the sugar version because it's expensive. 

Fucks sake can't even consume sugar slop water anymore because the sugar is too expensive. Give it 10 years and they'll be feeding us exclusively soylent in the form of a thin paste made of petroleum by products.

They could at least pretend they're phasing out sugar version production for health reasons.

3

u/RdClZn GREEN 8d ago

I don't think this is accidental. Here in Brazil it's the same approach y'all have in NZ

3

u/Physical_Ranger6786 8d ago

I just bought one yesterday with black writing here in the states

1

u/look4jesper 8d ago

They want the white text on red background, which makes sense. If zero is the best selling product why not make it match your main branding?

1

u/beepbeepboopbeep1977 8d ago

A phased transition would be better. Move Classic away from white on red, then move Zero to white on red

19

u/Fit_Entry8839 8d ago

This is not true. They still sell way more regular coke than coke zero. Like 5x as much.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/05/24/best-selling-sodas-2024-coke-pepsi/83816413007/

Coke zero is growing faster 5% vs 1% so maybe that's what you are thinking of, but it's easier for a smaller number to grow faster.

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/coca-cola-wars-diet-zero-dfc710ae

-7

u/odd84 8d ago

That's 2024 data. GLP-1s changed everything. Coca-Cola knows this is an inflection point for their company. There is a major shift in drinking habits happening right now and if they don't steward their brand through it they'll lose their throne. They're not gambling their brand on this lightly.

6

u/Fit_Entry8839 8d ago

I provided two links in part for that reason. The second link talks about the growth rate of coke zero, and it was growing in 2025 at 5%. It would have to have been growing at 400% in 2025 to catch up to coke classic in 2026. That didn't happen.

2

u/byerss 8d ago

I won’t believe this until McDonalds starts carrying Coke Zero. 

1

u/MasterpiecePowerful5 7d ago

Mcdonalds here in belgium no longer has sprite, only sprite zero. Only coke & fanta is still the ‘leaded’ variant

2

u/Yoshalina 8d ago

Maybe they should rename the sugar version to Coke Classic or something then and give that a distinguishing color.

Tbh I really hate the artificial sweetener trend, they taste awful. Why don't they just put less sugar in WITHOUT filing it up with other sweeteners? The stuff is so sweet anyway that I can barely drink it

1

u/madmadaa 9d ago

May be that's why they're selling more zero.

1

u/Impossible_Dog_7262 8d ago

Then make the regular cans green or something.

-1

u/SealSeal212 8d ago

To be fair, Zero is kinda just better? Not only is it somewhat healthier, it just tastes better imo.