When Coca-Cola GB announced on 11 June that Coca-Cola Life would launch soon, initially I thought "yeah....its about time!" (original press release: CLICK).
But then I decided to do a little digging into what was actually going to be launched in the UK and discovered something so disappointing that I had no choice but to blog about it later in the day in The Grocer.
What was it that led me to exclaim that UK consumers were being treated differently (a.k.a. worse) than consumers in Argentina?
It was the fact that the calorie / sugar reduction offered in the Coca-Cola Life product about to launch in the UK is nothing like what was offered to Argentineans.
Judging by the nutritional info on the company's own website, Coca-Cola Life sold in Argentina contains 90 calories and 22.5g sugar per 500ml serving. Based on Coke's press release of 11/June, the Coca-Cola Life that will be sold in the UK will contain 134 calories and 33.4g sugar - almost 50% MORE sugar and calories!
This exposé probably led to Coca-Cola issuing a clarifying statement (read it here) saying that the huge calorie/sugar disparity was down to "differences in consumer preference".
Am I missing something here? Mainstream Coke in the UK has virtually the same number of calories and sugar as Coke in Argentina. Its true that companies often tinker with recipes to more closely match geographic preferences (I did the same too). But this goes beyond tinkering in my view and it doesn't quite fit the more natural "mid-calorie" space. I don't believe that folks here love the Coke franchise any less and I certainly don't think concerns about nutrition and ingredients are wildly different.
Maybe it should be called Coca-Cola Half Life in the UK!
But then I decided to do a little digging into what was actually going to be launched in the UK and discovered something so disappointing that I had no choice but to blog about it later in the day in The Grocer.
What was it that led me to exclaim that UK consumers were being treated differently (a.k.a. worse) than consumers in Argentina?
It was the fact that the calorie / sugar reduction offered in the Coca-Cola Life product about to launch in the UK is nothing like what was offered to Argentineans.
Judging by the nutritional info on the company's own website, Coca-Cola Life sold in Argentina contains 90 calories and 22.5g sugar per 500ml serving. Based on Coke's press release of 11/June, the Coca-Cola Life that will be sold in the UK will contain 134 calories and 33.4g sugar - almost 50% MORE sugar and calories!
This exposé probably led to Coca-Cola issuing a clarifying statement (read it here) saying that the huge calorie/sugar disparity was down to "differences in consumer preference".
Am I missing something here? Mainstream Coke in the UK has virtually the same number of calories and sugar as Coke in Argentina. Its true that companies often tinker with recipes to more closely match geographic preferences (I did the same too). But this goes beyond tinkering in my view and it doesn't quite fit the more natural "mid-calorie" space. I don't believe that folks here love the Coke franchise any less and I certainly don't think concerns about nutrition and ingredients are wildly different.
Maybe it should be called Coca-Cola Half Life in the UK!
Comments
Post a Comment