Coca-Cola responds to PepsiCo's healthy quest

By Jeremiah McWilliams

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

PepsiCo, the main competitor to Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, has generatedconsiderable publicity in recent days for its vows to pull soft drinks from schools across the world and also cut the sodium, fat and sugar content of its drinks and snacks. On Monday, PepsiCo used part of the first day of a major investor conference to discuss its plans to sell healthier products.

Coca-Cola, meanwhile, vowed to continue to experiment in the diet and "light" categories. On Monday, it noted that it is rolling out Vitaminwater Zero, a zero-calorie "enhanced" water, and is also using a natural sweetener called Truvia in some of its juices. It said more than 25 percent of its global beverage portfolio is comprised of low- or no-calorie beverages.

Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have promised to make calorie information more prominent on labels and have drastically reduced the shipment of full-calorie soft drinks to U.S. schools as concerns about obesity and health have become increasingly serious.

Follow us on Twitter here.