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By Lutho Pasiya 
3h ago
As South Africans go through these unprecedented times, those who love Coca-Cola’s diet soda, TaB, have taken another devastating blow.
TaB broke new ground in 1963 when it was introduced as the Coca-Cola Company’s first “diet” soft drink. It became a cultural icon in the 1980s and maintained a small but loyal following for the past several decades, primarily among fans who grew up with the beloved brand.
It became one of the brand’s popular drinks, especially for those with diabetes, as it was considered one of the few soft drinks that they could drink.
In a company statement, they said that over the next two years, they will recall select products in various markets around the world.
They said this move is part of a global portfolio update, prioritizing the leading brands in the category with the most potential for scale.
This portfolio update will allow the company to invest in scaling brands and create a beverage portfolio that is positioned to capture growth in a rapidly changing market.
Therefore, as part of this process, Coca-Cola plans to retire TaB globally; this includes South Africa.
Cath Coetzer, global director of innovation and marketing operations for the Coca-Cola Company, said they are challenging themselves to think differently about their brands to accelerate their transformation into a total beverage company.
“It is not about narrowing down to a specific number of product offerings from our brands. The goal is to drive impact and growth. It’s about continuing to follow the consumer and being very intentional when deciding which of our brands are most worth our investment and resources, ”Coetzer said.
The company also noted that for those consumers who prefer low calorie or low kilojoule beverages, without caffeine, they continue to offer Coca-Cola without sugar without caffeine in South Africa and that more communications will be shared once plans and deadlines have been finalized. .
The discontinuation of Coca-Cola TaB is not the only sad news presented to South Africans this year in the food and beverage industry.
In July, Nestlé announced that some of its beloved Log chocolate brands and other chocolate brands will no longer be available on South African store shelves.
Nestlé also confirmed the news with an official statement. “Like Nestlé, our purpose is to delight our consumers through tastier and healthier products. We know that one of the main drivers of the chocolate category is innovation and that consumers love new products.
“With this in mind, we are discontinuing certain products and bringing new ones to the market,” said Zweli Mnisi, Head of Public Relations, Media Engagement and Digital Content – Nestlé Eastern and Southern Africa Region.
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