14 DAY TRIAL // Coca Cola might be a bit late on the healthy approach to carbonated drinks game, but at least it is marking its arrival with a bang, namely, by releasing a green tea flavored Cola, as The Nightly Business Report says. Starting Monday, Japan will be the first country to get the new type of Cola, aimed at young women who would never compromise taste for the sake of health and beauty, it is being said.
According to reports, Coca Cola is the established leader on the Japanese soft drinks market, but the move was prompted by competition catching up fast as well. For starters, Pepsi already has plans to bring one such health-focused drink on the market, which will go by the name of Pepsi Shiso and is based on basil. Non-carbonated bottled soft drinks with green tea are also starting to gain ground, numbers indicate, which might endanger Cola’s position in Japan – therefore, coming out with a new flavor was a must, specialists say.
The green tea flavored Coca Cola contains, according to the company, antioxidants called catechins – common in tea – which make it the ideal choice for a certain segment of the public, namely those who want to focus on both health and excellent taste. “We wanted to cater to people who are looking for something that tastes good but is also good for health and beauty.” Katsuya Sato, a spokesperson for Coca Cola Japan, is telling the media ahead of the June 8 release. Plans on releasing the new flavor on other markets as well have not yet been made public.
Given that this might sound somewhat too good to be true, especially in the context in which Coca Cola is often taking heavy fire for its many health downsides, several bloggers have already taken active steps towards telling consumers not to be lured by the promises of the new product. A recent initiative from Pepsi called Pepsi Natural and boasting of replacing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) with sugar and adding natural ingredients to the mix was equally harshly criticized by health experts.
The truth with these initiatives is that, most of the time, the adjustments that are being made are nothing short of dust in the eyes of the consumer, it is being said, since they bring nothing new to the table as regards the bigger picture. The same could hold true for the green tea flavored Coca Cola but the jury is still out on this one.