Diet Coke Plus
Product brand
UnclaimedA discontinued Diet Coke formulation fortified with selected vitamins and minerals.
Last updated August 22, 2026
Overview
Diet Coke Plus was a Coca-Cola Company soft-drink formulation positioned as a fortified version of Diet Coke. It retained the sugar-free, low-calorie character associated with Diet Coke while adding vitamins, minerals, or antioxidant-related ingredients, depending on the market and variant. The product was sweetened with a combination of aspartame and acesulfame potassium. The drink was first introduced in the United States in April 2007. Coca-Cola subsequently expanded the formulation into several European markets, including Belgium in July 2007 and the United Kingdom in October 2007, followed by France, Germany, and Finland in 2008. It was also introduced in Brazil in January 2010. The product was associated particularly with markets in which consumers showed interest in beverages carrying functional or nutritional claims. The supplied country attribution identifies Japan, although the available reference material documents launches in the United States, Europe, and Brazil rather than establishing a separate Japanese launch date. Outside the United States, Coca-Cola offered more than one formulation. One version included vitamins B3, B12, and C. Another, marketed as Diet Coke Plus Antioxidants, used green tea and vitamin C to support an antioxidant-oriented proposition. Despite being described as sugar-free, the antioxidant formulation contained a small amount of sugar from green-tea powder. This distinction illustrates the regulatory and labeling complexity created when a conventional carbonated soft drink is presented as a nutritionally enhanced product. Diet Coke Plus also became the subject of regulatory scrutiny in the United States. In December 2008, the Food and Drug Administration sent The Coca-Cola Company a warning letter concerning the use of the word “plus” on the product label. The agency said that the term was regulated and that the beverage did not meet the applicable conditions for using it to describe nutrient content. The FDA also stated that carbonated snack beverages could not use the term in the manner employed by the product. Coca-Cola responded that the matter did not involve a health or safety concern and maintained that its labeling complied with FDA policies and regulations. The product was discontinued in November 2011. As a result, Diet Coke Plus is best understood as a historical line extension rather than a current Coca-Cola offering. Its significance lies in Coca-Cola’s attempt to extend a major diet-cola brand into functional beverages, combining familiar cola branding with vitamins, minerals, green tea, and antioxidant language. The available material does not establish a continuing retail presence, a current owner separate from The Coca-Cola Company, or a dedicated corporate organization for the product.
History
Diet Coke Plus was developed as a functional extension of Diet Coke, one of The Coca-Cola Company’s established diet-cola brands. Rather than changing the product’s basic identity as a sugar-free carbonated cola, the formulation added nutrients and health-oriented ingredients intended to distinguish it from ordinary diet soda. Its sweetener system combined aspartame with acesulfame potassium. The first documented release occurred in the United States in April 2007. Coca-Cola then introduced the product in Belgium in July of that year and in the United Kingdom in October. Additional European launches followed in France, Germany, and Finland during 2008. The product was also released in Brazil in January 2010. The available reference identifies Japan as the relevant country attribution for this dossier, but does not provide a documented Japanese launch date or detailed Japanese packaging information. In some markets the formulation was marketed under the name Coca-Cola Light Plus rather than Diet Coke Plus. The international versions were not necessarily identical. One non-U.S. variant supplied vitamins B3, B12, and C. Another was marketed as Diet Coke Plus Antioxidants and combined green tea with vitamin C. Although the antioxidant version was described as sugar-free, its green-tea powder contributed 0.1 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters. These differences reflected local product strategies and the regulatory sensitivity of nutrition and health claims. The product encountered a labeling dispute in the United States. On December 10, 2008, the FDA issued a warning letter to The Coca-Cola Company, arguing that Diet Coke Plus used “plus” in a way that did not satisfy federal requirements for nutrient-content labeling. The agency’s position was that a product using the term needed to provide a specified increase over a reference amount and identify the relevant nutrient increase. It further stated that carbonated snack foods such as soda could not use the term in the proposed manner. Coca-Cola replied that no health or safety issue was involved and that it believed the labeling complied with FDA policy and regulations. The warning letter was not itself a court judgment, but it placed the product’s labeling under formal regulatory scrutiny. Diet Coke Plus was discontinued in November 2011. No separate corporate entity was associated with the product, and no current website or active retail program is established in the supplied material. Historically, the line represents Coca-Cola’s effort to merge the mass-market appeal of diet cola with the functional-beverage trend through vitamin fortification, antioxidant terminology, and green-tea ingredients.
- 2011
Discontinuation
[1]Diet Coke Plus was discontinued in November.
- 2010
Brazilian launch
[1]The product was released in Brazil in January.
- 2008
Further European launches
[1]Diet Coke Plus became available in France, Germany, and Finland.
- 2008
FDA labeling warning
[1]The FDA warned Coca-Cola that the product’s use of “plus” raised federal food-labeling concerns.
- 2007
Initial United States launch
[1]Diet Coke Plus was introduced in the United States in April as a fortified formulation of Diet Coke.
- 2007
European expansion begins
[1]The product was launched in Belgium in July and the United Kingdom in October.
Products and positioning
A sugar-free diet cola positioned around added vitamins, minerals, or antioxidant ingredients for consumers seeking a more functional soft drink.
Fortified diet cola · 2007
Diet Coke Plus
The core product was a sugar-free Diet Coke formulation sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame potassium. It was fortified with vitamins or minerals and marketed as a more functional alternative to standard diet cola. The formulation and labeling varied by market, and the product was later discontinued.
Antioxidant-oriented diet cola
Diet Coke Plus Antioxidants
A market-specific Diet Coke Plus variant containing green tea and vitamin C. It was promoted around antioxidant positioning rather than only vitamin fortification. The green-tea powder contributed a small amount of sugar despite the product being labeled sugar-free, making its ingredient and labeling profile distinct from a conventional zero-sugar cola.
Controversies
2008
FDA warning over “plus” labeling
The FDA stated that Diet Coke Plus was misbranded because the term “plus” did not meet applicable nutrient-content labeling conditions. The agency also argued that carbonated snack foods could not use the term in the relevant way. Coca-Cola disputed the compliance interpretation and said there was no health or safety issue.
Brand decisions
2011
Discontinuation of Diet Coke PlusStrategyBackground
After several years of limited international availability and a documented U.S. labeling dispute, the product was removed from the market.
Action taken
Diet Coke Plus was discontinued in November.
Aftermath
The product remains a historical Diet Coke line extension rather than an active offering. No financial explanation for the discontinuation is established in the supplied sources.
2008
Response to FDA labeling challengeOtherBackground
The FDA challenged the product’s use of the word “plus,” citing federal requirements for nutrient-content claims and restrictions relating to carbonated snack foods.
Action taken
The Coca-Cola Company stated that the matter was not related to health or safety and maintained that the label complied with FDA policies and regulations.
Aftermath
The warning letter became the product’s principal documented regulatory controversy. The available material does not establish the precise corrective action taken.
2007
Launch of a fortified Diet Coke extensionProduct launchBackground
Coca-Cola sought to extend Diet Coke into the functional-beverage space by adding vitamins, minerals, or antioxidant-oriented ingredients to a familiar diet-cola base.
Action taken
The company launched Diet Coke Plus in the United States and expanded it into selected European markets.
Aftermath
The line later reached Brazil and was offered in different market-specific formulations, including an antioxidant variant.
Recent events
- 2011
Diet Coke Plus discontinued[1]
Other
Diet Coke Plus was discontinued in November 2011 after a period of availability in multiple international markets.
Sources1 sources
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