Coca-Cola Enterprises launches Coca-Cola Life in Great Britain

Coca-Cola’s new stevia-sweetened Coke Life is not out yet, but it’s already courting controversy. Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has announced the launch of Coca-Cola Life in Britain this September. Piloted in Argentina and Chile in 2013, this will be the first time the green-labelled Cola will be available in Europe. Coke’s last brand extension – Coke Zero – arrived in 2006.

According to media, this lower-calorie cola contains a third less sugar and a third fewer calories than regular cola and is sweetened with a blend of sugar and naturally sourced stevia leaf extract. A 330 ml can of Coca-Cola Life contains 89 calories as compared to the 139 calories that are in a can of regular Coke.

Given the public debate over sugar’s negative side-effects, UK health advocates have warned against the new drink, saying that despite the reduced calories the drink still contains four teaspoons of sugar, nearly a quarter of a child’s recommended daily intake.

What angered anti-sugar advocates even more is the fact that the UK version of Coca-Cola Life is sweeter than Latin America’s.

When asked, Coca-Cola confirmed that the sugar level in its new stevia-sweetened beverage Coca-Cola Life may vary considerably in different markets, with the UK version containing a lot more calories than the version sold in Argentina, for example.

Nearly two-thirds of the UK’s population is either overweight or obese, experts say.

Incidentally, at the moment, Coke Life doesn’t have a U.S. debut date.