While diet sodas have long been touted as a less unhealthy alternative to their full-calorie counterparts, they have never been passed off as nutritious.
But now, soft drink giant Coca-Cola’s new marketing push for Diet Coke Plus may be an effort to stake a sweet claim in the health food realm.
The labeling of the no-calorie soft drink, which contains niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, zinc and magnesium, has already raised the ire of the Food and Drug Administration, specifically for the use of the word “Plus.”
“Based on our review, we have concluded that this product is in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act,” reads a letter from the FDA to Coca-Cola. “Your Diet Coke Plus product is misbranded ... because the product makes a nutrient content claim but does not meet the criteria to make the claim.”
Neither do nutrition experts appear to be buying into what they say appears to be an effort to slap a healthy label on a beverage of questionable nutritive value.