ATLANTA -- The Coca-Cola Co. is giving mid-calorie sodas another try, this time with Sprite and Fanta, said an Associated Press report. The Atlanta-based company said it will test a "Sprite Select" and "Fanta Select" this summer that will have about half the calories of the regular varieties. The drinks will be made with a blend of sugar and other sweeteners, including Truvia and erythritol.
The tests will take place in a limited number of stores in Atlanta, Detroit, Louisville, Ky., and Memphis, Tenn.
Scott Williamson, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola, said that there are no plans for a national rollout yet.
The new formulas will both have 70 calories per a 12-ounce can. A can of regular Sprite has 140 calories and a can of regular Fanta has 160 calories.
PepsiCo Inc. earlier this year also launched its Pepsi Next, which has about half the calories of the regular variety. But Coca-Cola's new drinks are different because they use what are considered natural sweeteners, said John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest, which first reported on the tests.
Truvia is made from a plant and erythritol is a sugar alcohol. Pepsi Next uses a mix of high-fructose corn syrup and three artificial sweeteners that were used in past diet sodas.
"This is a different kind of product--it's a mid-calorie drink made with all-natural sweeteners," Sicher said.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have tried mid-calorie drinks in the past. In 2001, Coca-Cola rolled out "C2" and Pepsi in 2004 introduced its "Pepsi Edge." Both were taken off the market because of poor sales.
It will likely take at least a year before Coca-Cola and PepsiCo can gauge whether their new drinks will have staying power, Sicher said. That is particularly true for products that are exploring a new category.
"It's all going to depend on taste," Sicher said.
Williamson said the tests of the new mid-calorie drinks are simply part of the company's ongoing development efforts.
"We're always looking at testing different formulations to see what, if any, appeal they might have," he said.
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