Coca-Cola responds to healthy soda trend with new product

The new prebiotics soda will come out this month in five different flavores

Coca-Cola is jumping in on the trend of prebiotic sodas with a new drink: Simply Pop.

The Coca-Cola Company announced the beverage on Monday, creating new competition for popular soda alternatives like Poppi and Olipop. Simply Pop will roll out in five flavors this month: strawberry, lime, pineapple mango, fruit punch, and citrus punch.

Coca-Cola noted on its website that this is the “first-ever prebiotic soda made with real fruit juice.” Similarly to all prebiotic sodas, Simply Pop aims to “support gut health,” meaning there’s prebiotic fiber in it and no added sugars. The drink also has Vitamin C and Zinc to support immune function.

CEO of Coca-Cola’s nutrition unit, Becca Kerr, said Simply Pop came amid the rising popularity of prebiotic sodas.

“We saw the prebiotic soda space really emerging as an area of interest for consumers, and we were paying really close attention to it,” Kerr told CNN. “We think it’s a space that is a great consumer fit and also offers a lot of growth.”

According to Kerr, creating Simply Pop is part of Coca-Cola’s aim to become a “total beverage company,” beyond its usual drinks.

Simply Pop will be released in five different flavors (The Coca-Cola Company)

Along with the new prebiotic soda, Simply has created a range of sweet beverages. The brand, founded in 2001, famously makes Simply juices, like orange, limeades, and lemonade. Simply also makes smoothies and mixes for making cocktails.

Prebiotic sodas have become immensely popular in recent years, offering classic flavors like cola and lemon-lime but with a fraction of the sugar and other supposed health benefits.

However, Poppi was recently accused of misleading customers with its claim of “gut health benefits.” In a lawsuit filed against the brand last year, plaintiff Kristin Cobbs said Poppi contains just “two grams of prebiotic fiber, an amount too low to cause meaningful gut health benefits for the consumer from just one can.”

The lawsuit also alleged that the specific type of prebiotic used in Poppi, the dietary fiber agave inulin, can cause “adverse health results” and cited studies on consuming agave inulin. One study claimed that the prebiotic “can lead to inflammation and even liver damage at doses as small as 10 to 30 grams per day over a three-week period.” Another stated that taking as little as 2.5 grams of prebiotic supplements, including agave inulin, can lead to a build-up of gas, causing abdominal discomfort.

Earlier this month, Poppi’s co-founder, Allison Ellsworth, hit back at the criticism the brand faced for sending influencers full-sized vending machines with cans of the prebiotic soda in them. Since the machines were sent to influencers ahead of the Super Bowl, fans questioned why something so extravagant and expensive was only shared with wealthy influencers and not the general public.

“This vending machine campaign was put in place to bring awareness to the biggest soda moment of the year, the Super Bowl,” Ellsworth said in a TikTok video posted on Poppi’s account. “We planned to share Poppi across the U.S. with creatives hosting Super Bowl parties for their friends and families.”

She continued to explain that Poppi would be bringing the vending machines to marketing events, community pop-ups, and giveaways which Ellsworth claimed was always the company’s intention.

“We hear you. So help us nominate your friends, your family, your favorite teacher’s lounge, your sorority, your fraternity, whatever it is, wherever you guys want Poppi to show up, and let's get Poppi to the masses because, at the end of the day, we're a brand trying to revolutionize soda for the next generation,” she said.