Coca-Cola Great Britain announces next step in strategy to help people reduce their sugar and calorie intake

Coca-Cola Great Britain (CCGB) today announced the next step in its strategy to help people reduce their sugar intake - a new and improved sugar-free Coca-Cola which will be in stores this summer. 'Coca-Cola Zero Sugar', which will replace Coke Zero, will taste even more like the original Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola Classic), but without sugar.

The new drink is backed by CCGB's biggest marketing investment in a new product launch for a decade and will feature TV, out of home, digital advertising and experiential. The multi-million pound marketing campaign will encourage consumers to try the new and improved Coca-Cola Zero Sugar by highlighting that it 'tastes more like Coke and looks more like Coke' than the original Coke Zero. This move is a deliberate attempt to change the mix of the company's portfolio between sugar and no sugar drinks and is the latest action to result from the company's £30 million reformulation and new product development programme.

Replacing Coca-Cola Zero which was launched in 2006, new 'Coca-Cola Zero Sugar' is the result of years of recipe development and innovation. As well as the improved taste, the new name - Coca-Cola Zero Sugar - and packaging will make it even clearer to consumers that the drink is sugar-free. This decision was informed by consumer research conducted last year which showed that five in ten people did not know Coca-Cola Zero contained no sugar.

In addition to the new recipe and taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar will have a new look in line with the company's 'One Brand' marketing strategy. The new design incorporates the Coca-Cola red disc which has become a signature element of the brand, synonymous with great taste. By extending it to Coca-Cola Zero Sugar the new pack is designed to encourage people who love the taste of the 130-year-old original to give the zero sugar version a try.

Leendert den Hollander, General Manager at Coca-Cola Enterprises, said: "For years we have offered people a choice - every brand we sell has a great tasting no sugar version. Since 2012 our commercial strategy has focused on accelerating the growth of our no sugar options. We know that millions of people love the taste of Coca-Cola and have been working to refine the recipe of Coca-Cola Zero to match the taste of the original, but without sugar. It's the biggest investment we've made in a new product launch for a decade and will give people the great taste of Coca-Cola Classic but without the sugar."

Today's announcement is the latest in a series of actions taken by CCGB to promote moderation and choice and help people reduce their sugar and calorie intake. As a result of moves by manufacturers to change recipes, introduce smaller packs and invest more in marketing no sugar options, soft drinks is the only food and drink category from which the sugar purchased by British households is decreasing - by 13.6 per cent in the last five years.

Key actions CCGB has already taken include:

• Reformulation - developing new, lower and no sugar recipes like Coca-Cola Life and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. This work began more than 30 years ago with the launch of no sugar Diet Coke, since then CCGB has reduced the sugar and calorie content of many of its brands, including Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Oasis, Lilt and Schweppes Lemonade (by at least 30 per cent for each drink). Between 2013 and 2015, CCGB's reformulation programme has removed a total of 16,000 tonnes of sugar from the UK diet. In May, a new recipe for Coca-Cola Life, with 45 per cent less sugar than regular colas, will be available in stores across Great Britain.
• Offering smaller portions - the 250ml can of Coca-Cola is already available in more than 13,000 stores nationwide with distribution increasing.
• Promoting clear information - all of CCGB's bottles and cans display the Government's voluntary colour-coded nutrition labels on the front. CCGB remains one of a handful of major manufacturers to have adopted this new labelling scheme.
• Marketing - under its new global One Brand strategy launched in January this year, CCGB continues to invest more of its marketing budget in the lower and no sugar variants of Coca-Cola. Currently, 43 per cent of Coca-Cola sold in the UK is lower or no sugar and the new marketing strategy is designed to increase this figure to more than 50 per cent by 2020.

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar will be available across Great Britain from the end of June.

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