Stevia-Sweetened “Coca-Cola Life” Will Bring Its Silly Name To U.S. Shelves This Fall

The race to launch a mid-calorie soda that appeals to a wide audience continues, as does the trend of giving these new drinks stupid, stupid names. Following in the footsteps of Pepsi Next and Dr. Pepper TEN, the Coke folks are reportedly bring Stevia-sweetened Coca-Cola Life stateside in the coming months.

Beverage Digest Tweeted about the news yesterday, saying that Coke would introduce the not-as-calorific drink in the U.S. after months of testing in Argentina.

AJC.com says the debut for Coca-Cola Life, which we presume won out against Coca-Cola Famine, Coca-Cola Herpes, Coca-Cola Turd, and Coca-Cola Dead Dog in a name-that-cola competition, will be in September or October. That’s about the same time as it’s set to hit stores in the UK, which apparently loves life as much as we do.

While the beverage companies have been trying to come up with no- and low-calorie options for soda fans who don’t like the saccharine “diet cola” taste, none have really made a huge impression on consumers, who are leaving for beverages that have fewer calories — like unsweetened tea and coffee, or that old classic, water.

Last year, the FDA gave the the okay for a Coca-Cola-backed sweetener with the tongue-friendly name of Rebaudioside M, or Reb M. Which supposedly improves upon previous stevia formulations by having a taste that is closer to table sugar.

And again, while on the topic of stevia, we can’t help but share this spoiler-heavy clip from Breaking Bad:

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.