Seeing Fewer ‘Diet’ Drinks At The Store? Here’s The Real Reason They’re Gone

For decades, diet soda has become somewhat of a staple in the US. You’d often see people attempting to make their meals slightly healthier but swapping out a regular drink for the diet version, which usually came with less sugar and calories.

Recently, however, fans of diet drinks have noticed that there are fewer cans and bottles of their favorites in local grocery stores. Instead, they’re left with either the regular versions, or those marketed to be “zero sugar.” 

Lisa Williams, PhD, CEO of World of EPI, and a thought leader on global supply chains and logistics, told Allrecipes that while both diet and “zero-sugar” sodas contain no sugar or calories, the former usually has a lighter taste, while the latter tastes more like the original concoction.

One possible reason fewer diet drinks are seen on the shelves is that the word “diet” in itself has fallen out of favor with consumers. “Zero sugar has a more favorable meaning than diet these days. Zero sugar is more positively received. Therefore, more no-calorie beverage suppliers are using the term instead of ‘diet’ to appeal to younger consumers,” explained Dr Williams.

This is in part due to the fact that the English language doesn’t have a distinction between the word for “to lose weight” and “an eating pattern,” which for both are “diet.” In recent years, the fight against diet trends has picked up steam, with many public voices speaking up about the issues with purposefully curbing one’s food intake.

“The focus on calories and fat has just been so intertwined in how we think about what we eat, and foods marketed as diet used to be reassuring,” said Jaime Schwartz Cohen MS, RD, a dietitian at Ketchum.

“The connotation of the word ‘diet’ is counter to everything Millennials and now Gen Z want in what they eat and drink. Eating less sugar is perceived as being healthier, so a product described as zero-sugar resonates with them—even when it’s the same diet product with a new name,” Cohen explained.

Backing up the theory is Lindsay Martin, Vice President of Marketing at Reed’s. She said: “Rebranding to zero sugar is a simple marketing tool that mass brands are using to ditch ‘diet’.”

Todd Kaplan, Vice President of Marketing at Pepsi, concurred. He told Allrecipes in an email: “Recently, we’ve gone all in on Pepsi Zero Sugar as we believe it is the perfect match for zero-sugar cola drinks who are unwilling to compromise on taste. We expect zero sugar cola to remain a big focus area for us in the future as more and more consumers look for great tasting zero sugar products.”

While there’s no indication that major soda brands will be taking diet drinks off the market, you could soon notice that there are loads more zero sugar varieties on the shelves at your grocer’s. 

[via Allrecipes, cover image via Steven Cukrov | Dreamstime.com]