Coke Introduces 90-Calorie Mini-Cans

by Martha Edwards (Subscribe to Martha Edwards's posts)
Oct 15th 2009 2:00PM

Photo: Coca-Cola

When it comes to staggering obesity figures, the fat finger of blame is often pointed in the direction of soda giants like Coca-Cola. And they feel bad about it -- so bad, in fact, that they're not only contributing to obesity-fighting causes, they're also rolling out a product designed for soda lovers on a diet (and no, we're not talking about Diet Coke here).

Introducing Coke's all-new (but not particularly innovative) 90-calorie mini-cans. At first glance, this is a pretty feeble attempt at appearing like they care about the size of America's waistline -- one which they stand to make a huge profit from.

The 7.5-ounce cans will first be rolled out in New York and Washington D.C. in December. The rest of the nation should see the petite servings by March. The soda maker will also offer the smaller containers for Sprite, Fanta Orange, Cherry Coca-Cola and Barq's Root Beer. The cans, however, will not replace the 20-ounce sodas found in nearly ever deli, corner store and gas station. Instead, they will come in 8-packs.

Here's the thing: Just because it comes in a smaller package, doesn't mean it's good for you. Buying smaller containers in bulk also may not translate into less consumption for soda addicts. Sugary junk -- mini-can or not -- is still just sugary junk. Heck, even diet soda may make you fat. Granted, the introduction of the mini-can may inspire once-in-a-while soda drinkers to reach for the smaller can over the large one, but will this move actually make a difference in the obesity war?

This move also comes as Coke shifts the nutritional information onto the front of their soda labels. Even so, California is still investigating a soda tax.

Soda isn't the only beverage that can pack on the pounds. Click on the gallery below to see other drinks that may be bad for your health.

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http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf

Fattening Drinks

By Mary Kearl

Your favorite beverage may be just as diet-wrecking as fatty fast food, adding calories, sugar and fat and offering little or no nutritional value. Watch out for these drink shockers that will tip you closer to the F.D.A. and U.S.D.A. recommended daily limits for calories (2,000), fat (65 grams) and added sugar (40 grams) a day. Added sugars means any sugar not found naturally within the food, so look out for ingredients like sugar, maple syrup, honey, corn syrup and molasses, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, and national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

Nathan Ellis Perkel for AOL

Getty Images North America

Drink Shockers

Red Bull

Size: 8.3 oz can
Calories: 110
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 27 g

This drink contains more than half the sugar you should have in one day. Plus, do you really want to use 110 of your 2,000 calories on something you can drink in about 10 seconds?

*Calories per Ounce: About 13

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Sunsweet Prune Juice

Size: 8 fl oz
Calories: 180
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 18 g

While Sunsweet's juice is 100 percent juice and does not contain any added sugars, it still is a high concentration of natural sucrose, which means the calories can add up. In comparison, one serving of Sunsweet's regular prunes contains 100 calories and 12 grams of sugar. Plus, it contains 11 percent fiber which you miss out on when you drink the juice.

*Calories per Ounce: 22.5

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red

Size: 8 fl oz
Calories: 120
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: 29 g

Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red contains five percent juice, which means 95 percent of it comes from water, plus dubious ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, artificial flavoring, juice concentrates and sugar. Since many "juice" drinks like Hawaiian punch do not contain 100 percent juice, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting juice intake to 4-6 ounces for kids under 7 years, and no more than 8-12 ounces for older children and teens.

*Calories per Ounce: 15

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Hershey's Chocolate Milk

Size: 1 cup, or 8 fl oz
Calories: 200
Fat: 5 g
Sugars: 29 g

Just one serving of this milk contains 17 more grams of sugar than regular low-fat milk, or nearly half the added sugar you should have in one day. Make this an occasional treat, not a once or twice-a-day habit.

*Calories per Ounce: 25

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

McDonald's McFlurry with M&M's candies

Size: 12 oz
Calories: 620
Fat: 20 g
Sugars: 85 g

When it comes to calories, this drink is about the equivalent of one meal. Plus, you better watch your sugar intake for the rest of the day.

*Calories per Ounce: About 52

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Wendy's Chocolate Twisted Frosty with M&M's

Size: 16 oz
Calories: 560
Fat: 19 g
Sugars: 72 g

Yes, this drink is a little lighter on all counts than a McFlurry, but you'd still be better off ordering a chocolate or vanilla Frosty in the junior or small sizes. You'd save 250 to 410 calories and 11 to 15 grams of fat.

*Calories per Ounce: 35

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Glaceau Vitamin Water

Size: 20 oz
Calories: 125
Fat: 0 g
Sugars: about 33 g

There is one easy way to avoid this diet trap. If you're feeling dehydrated or low on energy, drink a glass of calorie-free, sugar-free, fat-free water and eat one of your five to nine servings of fruits or veggies recommended by the U.S.D.A.

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Crème, Double Chocolate Chip Crème (without whipped cream)

Size: Venti, 24 fl oz
Calories: 550
Fat: 11 g
Sugars: 79 g

By adding whipped cream this drink becomes even more shocking with an extra 120 calories and 11 fat grams.

*Calories per Ounce: About 23

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Baskin Robbins Cappuccino Blast Caramel

Size: 24 fl oz
Calories: 720
Fat: 24 g
Sugars: 102 g

Steer clear of this cappuccino the next time you're at Baskin Robbins -- it contains about a third of your daily fat allowance -- and head for the low fat variety of the Cappuccino Blast. At 220 calories and 2 grams of fat it's a much lighter option. But watch your sugar content for the rest of the day because even this option contains 44 grams.

*Calories per Ounce: 30

Rebecca McAlpin for AOL

Comments (61)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

ljk 10-15-2009 @ 2:28PM

here in florida we already have a small 8oz. can.. for someone who doesnt want a 12oz. can this is perfect.. i usually waste that size.. can't drink it all before it gets warm.. and who likes warm coke!! it is perfect.. a little costly but at least they are not wasted and its perfect for children.. we all know how they can waste a can of soda.. i say bring it on...

beaslbob 10-15-2009 @ 3:22PM

gee what a thought.

in the 50's all coke was sole in 6.5 oz bottles. Pepsi got it's start by having larger bottles.

LOL

Paula 10-15-2009 @ 8:00PM

We also have those little cans of coke and pepsi and anything else you could want here in Kentucky. They fit much better in a lunchbox and since I never finish an entire drink anyway, they're perfect. Cokes new can will make them a bit of extra money but it won't last long.

michelle 10-18-2009 @ 7:17PM

I agree. I never finish the regular size cans before it goes warm and/or flat. I end up wasting a lot.

CJ 10-19-2009 @ 12:08AM

This is what the cans look like in Germany

Rich 10-15-2009 @ 3:41PM

7.5 ounces? That just makes me want to drink two! I think cans should be 14 ounces; 12oz is just a little bit small. It always makes me want just one more sip, so I have to open another can. 14oz would give me that precious last sip.

Bill (AshburnStadium) 10-18-2009 @ 7:11PM

I think since the rest of the soda sizes have gone metric, why not use a half-liter bottle, which is just under 17 ounces (a heavy pint, but less than the current 20-ounce bottle).

A quarter-liter can, or 250 ml, could replace the 7.5 oz., the 8-oz. and the 12-oz. cans. It would be nearly 8.5 ounces, and would be perfectly proportioned for those who can't drink a 12-ounce can.

viperkat67 10-15-2009 @ 3:39PM

SMART COKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, way to stay on top of the industry! LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea! Shoulda done this years ago!

Robinsgothealth 10-15-2009 @ 3:48PM

If you are into health you have to know that you should stay away from any surgary substitutes...water all the way!!!

No thanks Coke
Gotta love your water!

Derrel 10-15-2009 @ 5:21PM

do you actually think Coke~ did that to benefit anyone but Coke~ themselves??
It's a huge marketing ploy! No one wants less for more money and Coke~ knows that!
One smaller can isn't enough so the consumer buys two...
You see Coke~ really doesn't care that you end up getting more calories and spend more money.

htc6600 10-15-2009 @ 6:11PM

If someone is on a diet and needs to lose weight, drinking Coke is the worst thing they could be doing. Coke has just been slow to jump on the 100-calorie serving size bandwagon.

Bernie 10-15-2009 @ 4:02PM

Well this is significant. If you can't control yourself Coke will do it for you. Maybe we should also look at the possibility that Coke will charge the same price for the midget as the larger one and then say the demand for the larger one has gone down and take the large off the market. I like Coke but nothing is past a marketer to reduce costs and increase profit. Good for them but I just don't have much Hope for Change, mainly because of the current lieing Federal Administration, MMM, MMM, MMM.

kim 10-15-2009 @ 3:57PM

It would be great if they also reduced the price, like soft drink companies did NOT when they quietly introduced the 8-pack and charged pretty much the same price as the 12-pack.

RDF 10-15-2009 @ 4:32PM

We have had the smaller size in Louisville for years. The only problem is a 6 pack of the smaller size is more costly than the larger size. I never really understood that.

Jane 10-15-2009 @ 4:38PM

I have seen these cans for years in London and other European cities. They have apparently been successful. I like them when traveling exactly because of the size.

cathy 10-15-2009 @ 5:18PM

They have been making small bottles of soda for a very long time.........I have bought Dr. Pepper products and Pepsi products in little cans already. What's the big deal? Now you can just drink 2 cans of coke when you are still thirsty instead of one. The pricing on the small cans is really steep, too.,

david 10-15-2009 @ 5:21PM

Ha this is just another marketing ploy. Mark my words you'll get less product and have to shell out at least 25% more for the new convenient size. It nothing but a rip off.

tntbow 10-15-2009 @ 5:32PM

They already have those cans in Asia. Here in Japan, i buy my daughter the small Fanta orange sometimes, along with several of the local beverages. They also have a 1 liter can, which works really well for some beverages. So you can get tiny, regular, or hugh already. They are just trying to introduce something that is successful somewhere else.

St 10-15-2009 @ 5:42PM

OK.. HERE'S WHERE BIG BUSINESS RIPS OFF AMERICA... AND AMERICANS ARE TOO STUPID AND IGNORANT TO PREVENT IT:

COKE JUST MADE A SMALLER SIZE CAN OF COKE. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS THE 12 OZ SIZE WILL GO AWAY, THEN THEY'LL RAISE THE PRICE OF THE SMALLER CAN TO THAT OF A 12 OZ CAN. THEN WE ALL GET USED TO PAYING MORE AND, AFTER A WHILE, THE SENSE OF BEING RIPPED OFF GOES AWAY.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT COKE PLANNED TO DO. SO I STRONGLY SUGGEST, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE SNOTTY YUPPIES AND UPSCALE MORONS, DON'T BUY COKE. DON'T BUY ANY NAME BRAND FOR A YEAR. YOU'LL DO FINE WITHOUT STARBUCKS OR KELLOGGS. THIS WILL FORCE COMPANIES TO EITHER GO OUT OF BUSINESS OR LOWER PRICES.