Jeffrey Salazar
Coca-Cola's first diet drink was Tab, a zero-calorie drink sweetened with saccharin. It was introduced in 1963 and remained popular in the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to Coca-Cola. Tab was the best-selling diet soda in 1982, but its popularity declined with the introduction of Diet Coke in the same year. Tab was eventually discontinued in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Coca-Cola's efforts to streamline its offerings.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Tab (stylized as TaB) |
| Type | Diet cola soft drink |
| Manufacturer | The Coca-Cola Company |
| Year Introduced | 1963 |
| Year Discontinued | 2020 |
| Popularity | Popular in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s; best-selling diet soda in 1982 |
| Variations | Root Beer, Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry, Strawberry, Orange, Tab Clear, Tab Energy |
| Sweeteners | Cyclamate, Saccharin, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Aspartame |
| Calories | Zero-calorie |
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What You'll Learn
Tab, Coca-Cola's first diet drink, was launched in 1963
Tab (stylized as TaB) was Coca-Cola's first diet drink, launched in 1963. It was a zero-calorie, sugar-free drink, sweetened with a mixture of cyclamate and saccharin. The beverage was popular in the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to Coca-Cola, with several variations being made, including fruit-flavored, root beer, and ginger ale versions. Tab was also available in Australia and the United Kingdom during this time.
In the early 1970s, studies linked saccharin, Tab's main sweetener, to bladder cancer in rats, leading to mandatory warning labels on products containing the sweetener. However, these labels were later repealed when no evidence was found to support the claim that saccharin caused cancer in humans. In 1983, a caffeine-free version of Tab was introduced, along with caffeine-free versions of Coca-Cola and the newly released Diet Coke.
Diet Coke was launched in 1982 and quickly overtook Tab in sales, though Tab retained a cult following. In 1984, Coca-Cola introduced Nutrasweet into the Tab formula, which alienated a portion of its market due to a perceived change in flavor. Tab's popularity continued to decline, and in 2020, Coca-Cola discontinued the brand as part of its efforts to streamline underperforming products during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its eventual decline, Tab played a significant role in paving the way for the diets and lights category of beverages.
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Tab was popular in the 1960s and 1970s
Tab was Coca-Cola's first-ever diet drink, introduced in 1963. It was popular among some people throughout the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to Coca-Cola. During the 1960s, the space race to the moon caught America's attention, and there was a simultaneous competition to create the best diet soda. Tab was born out of this competition, and it hit the market with an advertising campaign asking, "How can just 1 calorie taste so good?"
The drink was one of the most popular on the market in the 1970s and 1980s because of its sugar-free formula. It was the first diet soda on the market, and its name was chosen as a play on words, with the idea of keeping tabs on one's weight. Tab was also available in a variety of flavours, including root beer, lemon-lime, ginger ale, black cherry, strawberry, and orange. In the 1970s, Coca-Cola introduced six of these variety flavours, all of which were sugar-free.
However, Tab's popularity began to decline after the introduction of Diet Coke in 1982. Studies in the early 1970s had linked saccharin, Tab's main sweetener, with bladder cancer in rats, leading to warning labels on products containing the sweetener. This put off many consumers, and Tab's reputation suffered despite the labels later being repealed when no link was found between saccharin and cancer in humans.
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Coca-Cola introduced several variations of Tab
Tab (stylized as TaB) was a diet cola soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced in 1963 and discontinued in 2020. Tab was the company's first-ever diet drink and was popular among some people throughout the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to Coca-Cola.
Tab Clear, a caramel colour-free version of Tab, was released in the United States in 1992 and subsequently in the United Kingdom and Japan. Tab Clear was discontinued in 1994. In 2006, Coca-Cola introduced Tab Energy. Though it shares the Tab branding, its formula is entirely different from that of the standard cola: it is sweetened with sucralose and has a sour, tart flavour.
Tab was reformulated several times. It was initially sweetened with a mixture of cyclamate and saccharin. After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ban on cyclamate in 1969, sodium saccharin was used as the beverage's primary sweetener. In May 1984, Coca-Cola introduced Nutrasweet into the Tab formula, which alienated a significant portion of its market, and resulted in numerous consumer complaints regarding a perceived change in flavour.
Tab's popularity began to decline in 1982 with the introduction of Diet Coke, although Tab retained something of a cult following in the United States, where customers purchased about 3 million cases in 2008. In 2011, the Coca-Cola Company reported that it produced approximately 3 million cases of Tab that year (in contrast to 885 million cases of Diet Coke).
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Tab's popularity declined after the launch of Diet Coke in 1982
Tab was the first diet drink by Coca-Cola, introduced in 1963. It was popular among some people throughout the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to Coca-Cola. Several variations were made, including a number of fruit-flavored, root beer, and ginger ale versions. Tab was the best-selling diet soda in 1982, before the launch of Diet Coke.
In 1982, Coca-Cola introduced Diet Coke, which quickly overtook Tab in sales by a wide margin. Diet Coke was an immediate hit with customers, even though the flavor of the new beverage was not a carbon copy of the sugar-sweetened version. The launch of Diet Coke was a strategic move by Coca-Cola to tap into the growing diet soft drink market, which was expanding three times faster than the overall soft drink category. Diet Coke was positioned as a great-tasting soft drink that happened to be low in calories, rather than solely focusing on it being a diet drink. This broader appeal, coupled with the strength of the Coca-Cola name and effective advertising, contributed to its success.
Tab's popularity began to decline after the introduction of Diet Coke in 1982. While Tab retained a cult following, particularly in the United States, its sales and market share dwindled over the years. By 2011, Coca-Cola produced approximately 3 million cases of Tab, in contrast to 885 million cases of Diet Coke. Despite its decline in popularity, Coca-Cola kept producing Tab due to its devoted fan base, even as rumors of its discontinuation circulated.
In 2020, as part of its strategy to streamline its portfolio during the COVID-19 pandemic, Coca-Cola announced the discontinuation of Tab, along with other slower-selling drinks. Tab's discontinuation marked the end of its 57-year run, showcasing the evolving preferences and dynamics within the soft drink market.
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Tab was discontinued in 2020
Tab was Coca-Cola's first diet drink, introduced in 1963. It was one of the first diet carbonated drinks on the market and was targeted at women. Tab was popular in the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to Coca-Cola, with a variety of flavours, including root beer, ginger ale, and several fruit-flavoured options.
In the 1970s, studies linked saccharin, Tab's main sweetener, to bladder cancer in rats, which led to the United States Congress mandating warning labels on products containing the sweetener. Although the label requirement was later repealed when no plausibility was found for saccharin causing cancer in humans, the damage to Tab's reputation remained.
In 1982, Coca-Cola introduced Diet Coke, which quickly gained popularity and became the company's primary diet cola offering. Tab's popularity began to decline, and it faced increasing competition in the soft drink market, with the introduction of other diet soda options, including Pepsi's Diet Pepsi and Dr. Pepper's Diet Dr. Pepper.
In October 2020, as part of their efforts to scale back on under-performing brands during the COVID-19 pandemic, Coca-Cola announced that it was discontinuing Tab, along with several other slower-selling drinks. Despite its discontinuation, Tab has a loyal following, with some fans actively campaigning for its return to retail shelves.
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Frequently asked questions
Tab (stylized as TaB) was a diet cola soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company, introduced in 1963 and discontinued in 2020.
Tab was sweetened with saccharin and reportedly tasted like "bad medicine". It was reformulated several times, initially sweetened with a mixture of cyclamate and saccharin. After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ban on cyclamate in 1969, sodium saccharin was used as the beverage's primary sweetener.
Tab was introduced as an alternative to Coca-Cola. It was popular among some people throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Yes, several variations were made, including a number of fruit-flavoured, root beer, and ginger ale versions. Caffeine-free and clear variations were also released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Tab's popularity declined after the Coca-Cola Company introduced Diet Coke in 1982. The company discontinued Tab in 2020 as part of their efforts to scale back on under-performing brands during the COVID-19 pandemic.
