Can I import some Coca-Cola Light?

December 5, 2004 8:59 AM

NotQuitePepsiBlueFilter: Vacationing in Europe, I was surprised and pleased by the flavor of Coca-Cola Light, which is not made with the same formula as the rather dire-tasting American Diet Coke. The drink tastes pretty much the same as Coke's new C2, but instead of that soda's bizarre half-sugar, half-sweetener compromise, the European Coke Light does it with no sugar or calories. Why they don't sell this stuff in America is truly beyond me.

Thing is, I'd like to import some -- and while imports of other (slightly stiffer) European beverages are common, I can't find anywhere locally or on Google who will sell it to Americans. Then again, my EU language skills are lacking. Anywhere I can have a 12-pack of this stuff shipped to me?
posted by eschatfische to Shopping (27 answers total)

The difference is in the saccharine. There's saccharine (example: Sweet-n-Low) in the drinks in Europe, but only aspartame (example: Nutrasweet) in American Diet Coke. This is because saccharine has been found to cause cancer in laboratory animals (though in VERY high doses). So it's not on the market here. Saccharine is still legal in the EU.

I don't know how you could easily import softdrinks. Those fuckers are heavy. Canada?
posted by zpousman at 9:09 AM on December 5, 2004

I don't know the answer to your question, but should point out that (according to my wife, at least, who is a Diet Coke/Coke Light afficionada) the taste varies slightly from country to country, depending, I suppose, on who is making it and canning or bottling it. So to be sure to get the specific taste you want, you might want to concentrate your efforts on the country or countries you visited.
posted by misteraitch at 9:09 AM on December 5, 2004

It's all aspartame in Canada too.
posted by Evstar at 9:48 AM on December 5, 2004

Saccharin (without an "e") has been extensively studied and I think it's fair to say that the consensus is that it does not cause cancer, even in high doses.

"Other research indicates that the bladder tumors developed by male rats fed high doses of sodium saccharin are related to very high doses of the sodium salt and not saccharin per se. Sodium ascorbate (vitamin C) and sodium citrate, found in many foods and beverages, demonstrate similar effects." -- Calorie Control Council, an obviously biased group, but that doesn't make it false.
posted by grouse at 9:57 AM on December 5, 2004

"Why they don't sell this stuff in America is truly beyond me."

It's also because they can't mess with Diet Coke, which many people love (remember the New Coke fiasco). That's why Pepsi created Pepsi One as an alternative to Diet Pepsi when they wanted to use new sweeteners like Ace-K, instead of just changing the Diet Pepsi formula.
posted by smackfu at 9:58 AM on December 5, 2004

I thought it was aspartame that was rumoured to cause cancer - see here and here.
posted by skylar at 10:00 AM on December 5, 2004

According to the American Beverage Association, saccharin (no "e") is legal in soft drinks in the US.
posted by Caviar at 10:01 AM on December 5, 2004

I believe Coca-Cola Light contains cyclamates, or possibly a cyclamate-saccharine mix. This is illegal in the US based on early, non-conclusive (but very media-friendly) studies.
posted by dagnyscott at 10:11 AM on December 5, 2004

Not only that, but there are no more warning labels on saccharin products (such as Sweet & Low), because the effect noticed in lab rats has never translated to humans.

Aspartame is (rumored to be) really really bad for you. We use Splenda products whenever possible - the low carb Pepsi product now contains it - and will do so until the inevitable day when they tell us that Splenda will kill you too.
posted by PrinceValium at 10:13 AM on December 5, 2004

zpousman & dagnyscott, I looked at the label to try and figure out what was different while I was there, and I didn't see cyclamates or saccharine (I'm familiar with them as older sweeteners). The drink did have aspartame and acesulfame-k, which are both used in the US (aspartame is in just about everything diet, and acesulfame-k is used in the sweeter Pepsi One and Coke C2 -- I suspect the acesulfame-k is the secret as to what made the drink so enjoyable). But it doesn't appear to be a case where the sweeteners used aren't legal in the US. The weirdest thing on the EU labels was the statement that Coke Light was "a soft drink with vegetable extracts." (Wha!?)
posted by eschatfische at 10:28 AM on December 5, 2004

I believe Diet 7-Up still uses saccharin.
posted by kindall at 10:36 AM on December 5, 2004

The drink did have aspartame and acesulfame-k ... I suspect the acesulfame-k is the secret as to what made the drink so enjoyable

Actually, it's the dual sweeteners in general. Sucrose (i.e. regular sugar) is actually a disaccharide -- two sugar molecules, glucose and fructose, joined at the hip. Regular sugar thus gives us two simultaneous, slightly different sweet tastes. Using two artificial sweeteners achieves the same end and results in a much fuller flavor. This is why Pepsi One tastes so great in comparison to aspartame-only sodas. I too am shocked that Coke hasn't done this in the US -- perhaps they don't perceive P1 as a threat, or are afraid to fragment their market further with a new brand, or whatever.
posted by kindall at 10:40 AM on December 5, 2004

I believe the bad press from saccharin's cancer rumors, combined with the difficulty of changing recipes, combined with the new sweeteners available nowadays, makes for saccharin's relative irrelevance as far as Pepsi and Coke USA are concerned.

(Also, the Aspartame rumors are bunkum. That said, Aspartame tastes like metal.)
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:59 AM on December 5, 2004

The weirdest thing on the EU labels was the statement that Coke Light was "a soft drink with vegetable extracts." (Wha!?)

I think that's required under EU labeling laws, but am not sure. But it is true -- the "natural flavors" are derived from plants. There's a microscopic amount of kola nut in there, presumably, and I think they still use washed coca leaves and other organic flavors. (My copy of Big Secrets is in a box somewhere and inaccessible.)
posted by Vidiot at 11:22 AM on December 5, 2004

I am a bad speller, Sorry.

Googlefighting the two variations comes in 204,000 for my spelling with an e and 202,000 for the version without. However saccharine is an adjective and also a noun, while saccharin is only a noun. So I guess that accounts for it.
posted by zpousman at 12:10 PM on December 5, 2004

The OED suggests there are often mix-ups between saccharin and saccharine, the first is the correct term for a particular sweetening chemical, the second is a more general term for sugary material (as well as being an adjective). (Or at least that's if I'm reading it correctly)
posted by biffa at 12:23 PM on December 5, 2004

Hmm, thanks for the soda tip, Kendall. Drinking Diet Coke has, predictably, made me think regular Coke is now too sweet, but I still don't like the taste of Aspartame, so I wind up stuck in a very refreshing limbo. C2 is a step in the right direction, but why won't they make an all-Splenda soda? I hear Cyclamates are the bomb.
posted by mkultra at 12:44 PM on December 5, 2004

mkultra: I know it ain't Coke, but there are Splenda-based sodas sold in the U.S. My fave is the Waist Watchers line, but Diet Rite and Diet RC also contain the sweetner. More info here.
posted by SteveInMaine at 1:27 PM on December 5, 2004

Splenda, saccharin, aspertame... it sounds like they're all worse than just plain sugar.
posted by swank6 at 1:35 PM on December 5, 2004

Diet Rite contains no caffeine, which makes baby jesus cry.
posted by PrinceValium at 1:37 PM on December 5, 2004

I've seen Coke with sugar (not corn syrup) in some Mexican grocery stores in the US. I didn't know that Diet Coke and Coke Light had different formulas, but you could try the Mexican Diet Cokes to see if they are similar to the European ones. I like European Coke products better, especially Fanta Orange.

Also, if you have a friend who is a flight attendant, I know the airlines stock the European products on Atlantic routes, so maybe you could get some from the airlines.
posted by Frank Grimes at 2:07 PM on December 5, 2004

zpousman: Single spelling errors don't bother me that much, but please don't use a "Googlefight" to determine how to spell something when there is a quality free dictionary available. I can't believe that people believe that more popular = correct.

Frank Grimes: Passover Coke sold in areas with large American Jewish communities is made with cane sugar, not corn syrup.
posted by grouse at 3:02 PM on December 5, 2004

grouse: How can you tell Passover Coke apart from normal Coke? Is the packaging different?
posted by Vidiot at 3:17 PM on December 5, 2004

Frank G., thanks for the suggestion. I've seen Coke (and 7-Up et al) in bottles imported from Mexico quite often here in the states, but the bodegas and Mexican groceries near me don't seem to carry the sugar-free versions. Similarly, places like mexicancola.com have the sugared versions, but not the light version. I'll give the distributors a call, though.

grouse, the issue is that if you go to that quality free dictionary and type in saccharine, instead of a correction pointing you to saccharin, you'll get the definition:

Main Entry: sac·cha·rine
Function: adjective
1 a : of, relating to, or resembling that of sugar

which is close enough to lead one to believe that saccharine would be the correct spelling of the generic name of the, er, substance that resembles sugar. Especially when that definition lists saccharinity for the noun form.
posted by eschatfische at 3:28 PM on December 5, 2004

It looks like Passover Coke is available around Passover in certain areas. It has a yellow cap (bottle cap, presumably and not a yarmulke).
posted by Frank Grimes at 6:54 PM on December 5, 2004

Quite an article citation, Frank.

Here: Passover Coca-Cola explained in a nicely detailed article.

Also, Mexican Coca-Cola explained.
posted by werty at 5:23 AM on December 6, 2004

eschatfische: That is true, but if you look them both up you will find the right answer. And if you didn't think to look them both up, then you wouldn't have thought to do a "Googlefight" either.
posted by grouse at 11:33 AM on December 7, 2004