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Coca-Cola Is Ditching Coke Zero in Favor of New Coke Recipe

If Coke Zero was your go-to soda, prepare yourself for some terrible, no good, very bad news. Coca-Cola is saying goodbye to its zero-calorie soda in favor of a new Coke Zero version. Say hello to Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.

“We’ve made the great taste of Coke Zero even better by optimizing the unique blend of flavors that gave Coke Zero its real Coca-Cola taste. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is our best-tasting zero-sugar Coca-Cola yet, and it will be available across America in August,” reported People, quoting from a media release.

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According to a press release on the company’s website, the new Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (that’s a mouthful, if you ask us!) should be closer in flavor to regular Coke than the old Coke Zero was. In addition to its new taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is also getting a spiffy new bottle.

So why the change all of a sudden? Coca-Cola says it saw an opportunity to “give the brand another boost,” but the Washington Post reports that it’s essentially a marketing ploy. Soda companies have seen a decrease in sales of their diet sodas — Coke Zero’s sales rose 3.5 percent last year while Diet Coke’s sank by 1.5 percent, according to Delish — so Coca-Cola has focused its attention on boosting sales of this new, reimagined Coke Zero because consumers don’t perceive it to be a diet soda.

And if you’re worried about forever losing the taste of Coke Zero, according to the Washington Post, the ingredients list, which includes aspartame, is the same as old Coke Zero, so how different can it really be?

CNN Money reports that Coca-Cola Zero Sugar has had success in 25 markets across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, so it comes with a good track record.

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We’ll give you your time to mourn, but unopened cans of New Coke are selling for around $100, so it might be time to start stockpiling that old Coke Zero.

h/t Redbook

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