Dive Brief:
- The Coke-Pepsi wars are far from over: PepsiCo's full-calorie Pepsi-Cola snuck past Diet Coke as the No. 2 U.S. soda by volume last year, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing industry data. U.S. soda consumption overall fell for the tenth year in a row.
- The full-calorie Coca-Cola drink is still the top-selling soda in the U.S. with a 17.6% market share following volume ticking up 0.2%, says Beverage Digest. Diet Coke's volume decreased 6.6% last year, leading to an 8.5% market share.
- Diet soda has seen its share of difficulties the last few years, as consumer concerns about artificial sweeteners run rampant. Drink volumes at each company overall increased 0.3%.
Dive Insight:
Despite Pepsi-Cola's "win" here, these numbers aren't really great for anyone. Pepsi-Cola still saw volume drop 1.8%, so though it superseded Diet Coke, it's still not in the best shape. While Coke CEO Muhtar Kent may see selling more soda as the answer to soda woes, targeting exactly what consumers aim to buy may prove more difficult. And sometimes what consumers claim to want, may not necessarily translate to sales.
With Coca-Cola Life and Pepsi True using stevia, not to mention certain companies testing allulose, called Dolcia Prima by its producer Tate & Lyle, it will be interesting to see how the soda world transforms. Also, talk in California regarding warning labels on soda could prove a game-changer on a local and/or state level, though it's unclear what will happen there.