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Coke Changing Zero Formulation in Mexico |
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Thursday, 13 March 2008 |
MEXICO CITY: Coca-Cola has reformulated the Mexican version of Coke Zero, removing a controversial artificial sweetener that is banned in the U.S. and caused an outcry from consumer advocates in Mexico.
The company said the change will give the diet drink a taste closer to that of Coca-Cola Classic and had nothing to do with concerns over sodium cyclamate, a sweetener banned in the U.S. 39 years ago by the Food and Drug Administration after lab findings suggested it posed a cancer risk.
Sodium cyclamate, which is legal in more than 50 countries, including Mexico, Canada and the European Union nations, was replaced in Coke Zero in Mexico with a combination of two other artificial sweeteners, aspartame and acesulfame-K.
New bottles and cans bear the words "Without Cyclamate" in Spanish.
Rafael Fernandez, director of communications for Coca-Cola Mexico, said the change was not spurred by criticism from consumers.
"The formula changed because we have developed something that more approaches the original taste of Coca-Cola Classic," Fernandez said. "There was a campaign [against sodium cyclamate]; this is true, but cyclamate isn't a problem. ... It's a perfectly safe ingredient."
Fernandez said the new formula also allows Mexican Coke Zero to be preservative-free.
"We hope it will be even more successful than the [previous formula]," he said.
The new formula was introduced Feb. 15 and backed by a nationwide ad campaign featuring the slogan "Everything can get better."
The formula is still slightly different from the American version but the same as the formula in several other countries, including Chile and Belgium.
Consumer groups are calling the new Coke Zero formula a triumph.
The campaign "evidently affected the image of Coca-Cola," Alejandro Calvillo, director of the Power of the Consumer organization, said in an interview. "It's an important signal of the great power that we can exercise as consumers."
Mexico's fledgling consumer rights movement is still relatively small, especially when compared with advocacy in the U.S. The Mexican campaign against sodium cyclamate took place largely on the Internet.
After lab studies of rats suggested that cyclamate might increase the risk of bladder cancer in humans, the FDA banned the sweetener in 1969.
Recent studies have suggested sodium cyclamate, which is prized because it lacks a strong aftertaste, is safe for human consumption. An FDA review of a petition to legalize it is on hold while officials await additional information, said an agency spokeswoman in Washington.
Fernandez said that despite the discontent among some over the use of sodium cyclamate, Coke Zero's original incarnation was successful in Mexico.
While not divulging specific numbers, he said the product exceeded sales expectations by more than 70 percent in first two months after it was launched in January 2007.
Coke Zero is available in about 55 countries and its formula varies from nation to nation.
Sodium cyclamate is used in the product in Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy and other countries, Coca-Cola representative Blanca Amezcua said.
Mexico is a huge and lucrative market for Coca-Cola. In 2006, Mexico was Coke's second-largest market behind the U.S. An average Mexican family spends nearly $500 a year on soda products, according to market estimates.
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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