America’s largest soda brand is popping into a burgeoning beverage category.
On Feb. 18, the Coca-Cola Company announced that, with a new product called Simply Pop, it is hopping on the prebiotic soda bandwagon being driven by brands like Poppi and Olipop.
Simply Pop will come in 12-ounce cans that include 25% to 30% fruit juice from concentrate, with no added sugar, in the following flavors: Strawberry, Pineapple Mango, Fruit Punch, Lime and Citrus Punch.
Coca-Cola says that the “fruit-forward” line of sodas are made with vitamin C and Zinc to support immune function as well as 6 grams of prebiotic fiber to promote gut health. For comparison, Poppi sodas contain around 2 grams of prebiotic fiber and Olipop has up to 9 grams in its beverages.
Simply Pop will be available to purchase in late February at retailers in select regions, and online nationwide through Amazon Fresh, with plans to expand to more markets nationwide in the coming months.
Poppi did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com, but Olipop CEO shared the following statement:
It’s a massive honor that the largest soda brand in the world has decided that the category we invented, and the OLIPOP team has brought to life, is a great place for them to seek growth. It’s certainly a validator that the modern soda category has officially become mainstream and has a bright future. I am looking forward to getting a better understanding of what to expect from their functional ingredients as I believe it’s important that these products should stay true to the standards and benefits that consumers expect from functional beverages.
Olipop recently raised $50 million at a valuation of $1.85 billion, the company announced last week, reported CNBC. And Poppi released its second Super Bowl commercial this year, though it did receive a good deal of backlash for an “out of touch” vending machine activation as part of the campaign.
Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have had their eyes on the gut-healthy prize for a while now. Goodwin told CNBC in 2023 that both brands had already approached his company about a potential sale. And, according to BevNET, Pepsi isn’t too far behind with its own prebiotic pop product.
While Coca-Cola is now all-in on gut pop, experts are split on whether or not prebiotic sodas are actually healthy.
Caitlin Dow, a senior nutrition scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an independent advocacy organization, told NBC News that Poppi and other prebiotic soda brands are better for us than regular soda, but Natalie Rizzo, registered dietitian and nutrition editor at TODAY.com, has reservations.
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