Popular soft drink to be removed from supermarket shelves

In a shock move, Coke Zero will be pulled from Australian shelves next month.

The popular soft drink will be phased out from August 1 and replaced with an alternative product Coke No Sugar.

Already, customers are up in arms about the decision.

“My Husband and I were so disappointed today when we went to stock up on our favourite Coke Zero drink (that was an advertised special at Woolworths) only to find empty shelves,” said another user.

“The minute I cannot get more coke zero is the same minute I jump to Pepsi,” one user said.

“Coke no sugar is disgusting. I really like my Coke Zero,” said another social media user

On Wednesday, Coca-Cola Australia announced that Coke Zero will be replaced with Coke No Sugar, a product that it has trialled for the past year.

“The new recipe for Coke No Sugar was intended to replace Coke Zero in Australia – and is known as Coke Zero Sugar in other markets,” Lucie Austin, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Australia said in a statement.

According to Ms Austin, close to 3.5 million Australians have tried Coke No Sugar since it was launched last year.

Coke No Sugar is the company’s third sugar-free Coke recipe, following the release of Diet Coke in 1982 and Coke Zero in 2006.

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“We think it’s the closest we have ever come to the taste of classic Coca-Cola,” Ms Austin said.

Facing pressure to reduce sugar in its soft drinks, Coca-Cola Australia recently signed up to an industry-wide pledge to reduce sugar by 20 per cent across its portfolio by 2025.

Coke Zero will be totally phased out in Australia by September.