Diet Rite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Diet Rite Pure Zero | |
|---|---|
| Type | Diet Cola |
| Manufacturer | Dr Pepper Snapple Group |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Introduced | 1958 |
| Related products | Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Tab |
Diet Rite is a brand of no-calorie soft drinks originally distributed by the RC Cola company. It was the first diet soda to be sold. It was introduced in 1958 and initially released as a dietetic product, but was marketed to the general public as a healthful beverage in 1962. The original formula was sweetened with cyclamate and saccharin.
Today it is owned by and distributed by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (known until 2008 as Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages), after being acquired from Dr Pepper/Seven Up in 1995. Product containers, however, still bear the Dr Pepper/Seven Up markings.
The early '60s broadcast media advertising campaign featured a jingle with the lyrics: "Diet Rite Cola / Good for you and children too / Because it hasn't got / Any sugar at all ... new Diet Rite Cola!" By 1969, the Food and Drug Administration banned cyclamate, forcing the beverage to be reformulated with saccharin. Diet Rite was reformulated in 1983 to eliminate sodium, making it the first sodium-free diet soda. In 1987, after having used a blend of the two sweeteners, the saccharin was replaced entirely with NutraSweet brand aspartame and eliminating caffeine. In the 1990s, several fruit-flavored varieties of Diet Rite were introduced. In 2000, the line was reformulated yet again, this time to replace aspartame with Splenda brand sucralose and Sunett brand Acesulfame potassium. It became the first major diet soda in the United States to use neither aspartame nor saccharin as a sweetener. In 2005, "Pure Zero" was added to the name, and a cherry cola flavor was introduced in 2006.
[edit] Brand portfolio
- Cola Pure Zero
- Cherry Cola Pure Zero
- Golden Peach Pure Zero
- Kiwi Strawberry Pure Zero
- Red Raspberry Pure Zero
- Black Cherry Pure Zero
- Tangerine Pure Zero
- White Grape Pure Zero
