Coca-Cola Co. has mislabeled Diet Coke Plus, wrongly stressing the vitamins and minerals in the beverage, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has told the Atlanta-based beverage giant.
In a letter posted on its Web site Tuesday, the FDA said it does not consider it appropriate to fortify snack foods, such as carbonated beverages.
The FDA said a "plus" claim also can only be used on a product that contains at least 10 percent more of the daily reference value of a nutrient than a comparable product.
"Your Diet Coke Plus product is misbranded . . . because the product makes a nutrient content claim but does not meet the criteria to make the claim," the FDA's office of compliance wrote in the letter to Coca-Cola.
The company has 15 days to respond to the warning letter. Coca-Cola said it believes its product meets FDA requirements and plans to respond in early January. It does not plan to take the product off store shelves.
Diet Coke Plus was introduced in spring 2007 as a no-calorie beverage that also has vitamins and minerals.
Its labeling says that each 8-ounce serving provides 15 percent of the daily reference value for niacin, B6 and B12 and 10 percent of the daily reference value for zinc and magnesium. The FDA letter acknowledges that these nutrients are included on the label but that Coke did not identify a comparable food.
"We take seriously the issues raised by the FDA in its letter," said Coca-Cola spokesman Scott Williamson. "This does not involve any health or safety issues, and we believe the label on Diet Coke Plus complies with FDA's policies and regulations. We will provide a detailed response to the FDA in early January."
Copyright 2008 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution