NEW YORK (AP) – Coke Zero is getting revamped as Coke Zero Sugar.
The new name is intended to make clearer that the drink has no sugar, and a new recipe is intended to make the drink taste more like regular Coke.
The company isn’t specifying what it’s changing aside from saying it tweaked the “blend of flavors.” It says the drink will use the same artificial sweeteners.
Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. says the new cans and bottles, which will incorporate more red like regular Coke, will start hitting shelves in August.
Fans who like Coke Zero just the way it is took to social media, with some people joking about stockpiling the current version or referencing the history of New Coke. Others asked the company to please reconsider, and Coca-Cola’s social media team was busily responding, saying they’re hopeful that people will love the new version.
The push behind Coke Zero comes as Americans continue moving away from Diet Coke, which was introduced in the 1980s and has its own taste that’s different from Coke. Coke Zero was introduced in 2005 and is intended to more closely mimic the flagship cola.