Green Coca Cola Life With stevia and still a high sugar content

The cola group "Coca-Cola" has brought out a new product as a result of social changes. With the "green" coke "Life" now critical consumers are to be won. Because the drink contains the sweet plant "Stevia". But consumer advocates are critical. The new coke should contain a lot of sugar.

Cola in the green design
The lemonade company Coca Cola has been working for a better image for some time now. Only recently did he launch a lactose-free milk in the US. In Germany, after "Coca Cola Light" and "Coca Cola Zero" now another variant in the supermarket shelves: "Coca Cola Life". In South America, this version has been sold for years, in this country, it has been heavily advertised for months. With its green design and the indication that the version is sweetened with stevia extract, the consumer should apparently be given a more natural and supposedly healthier alternative to classic cola. Consumer advocates warn against being fooled by the label and call the new product a "sugar bomb".

Coca-Cola life is said to contain a lot of sugar, according to consumer advocates. Picture: serbogachuk / fotolia)

A bottle contains eleven cubes of sugar
According to the consumer center, "Coca Cola Life" in addition to Stevia also contains eleven cubes of sugar (34 grams) per 0.5 liter bottle. The maximum daily intake recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 25 grams for women and 30 grams for men. "Those who only enjoy a bottle of Coca-Cola-Life already exceed that amount. This sugar bomb is anything but healthy, "said Anneke von Reeken, nutrition expert of the consumer center of Lower Saxony. In addition, it is alarming that the soft drinks are often drunk especially by young people. For example, for a 12-year-old, the recommended daily amount of sugar is only 22.5 grams.

Promotions should not be believed
"Consumers should not believe advertising claims from manufacturers and product packaging," the experts write in their statement. The amount of sugar is not concealed by the manufacturer and that the cola is healthier, is not claimed, but the presentation suggests this. The consumer center of Lower Saxony again demanded the introduction of the nutritional value signal. "Food, which is missed by advertising image image, could be quickly unmasked by a red light."

200 times sweeter than sugar
The stevia plant, originally from Paraguay, has been cultivated in South America for two centuries. The plant-derived stevia extract is 200 times sweeter than sugar and calorie-free. In Germany, the plant extract was approved as food in 2011. Since then, stevia has been found as a sugar substitute in Germany not only in beverages, but also in other foods such as yoghurts. In natural medicine, the medicinal plant "Stevia Rebaudiana" is used among other things for heartburn or to reduce high blood pressure. However, experts of the German Diabetes Aid have pointed out in the past that the dangers of an overdose of Stevia are still unclear. (Ad)