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Index / Beverages / Coca-ColaUpdated 05 May 2026 · Methodology v1
Coca-Cola · 300 ml Can · Beverages

Diet Coke

Don't Eat

Diet Coke offers zero sugar and calories but relies on artificial sweeteners like aspartame; no major FSSAI controversies found, recent aluminium shortage affects supply.

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Fig. 01 · 300 ml Can · web-sourced

§01 — Six-Axis Assessment

Red = warning
01/06Sugar loadClear

Meets the GREEN threshold because the product reports 0g sugars (and effectively 0g added sugar) per serving, which is below the ≥5g/100ml RED cut-off for liquids. Evidence is based on the brand’s product page nutrition/positioning indicating zero sugar.

02/06Processing tierRed

Meets the RED threshold because it is NOVA Group 4 (ultra-processed) (carbonated soft drink with additives like colour E150d, multiple intense sweeteners, acids, flavourings/caffeine, and preservative), and it also fails another axis (Marketing deception = yellow; Regulatory history = yellow). This matches the rule: NOVA 4 AND fails any other axis.

03/06Fat profileClear

Meets the GREEN threshold because it has 0g total fat and no oils/fats are listed in ingredients, so there is no evidence of partially hydrogenated oils or meaningful saturated/trans fat. As a clear carbonated beverage, fat-related risk factors are not present in the provided nutrition/ingredients.

04/06SodiumClear

Meets the GREEN threshold for liquids because sodium is about 12mg/100ml (~40mg per 330ml), which is well below the YELLOW threshold of 150–300mg/100ml and far below the RED threshold of ≥300mg/100ml. This is taken from the provided per-100ml sodium value in the research.

05/06Marketing deceptionWatch

Meets the YELLOW threshold because while the 'zero sugar' framing is consistent with the stated 0g sugars, the product relies on intense sweeteners (aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose), and the research notes WHO flags these as not conferring health benefits. No specific ASCI/FSSAI ruling is provided in the sources.

06/06Regulatory historyWatch

Meets the YELLOW threshold due to a reported ongoing aluminium shortage impacting Diet Coke availability/pricing, indicating an unresolved supply disruption rather than a clean record backed by formal regulatory documentation. No recalls/bans/court orders are cited in the provided sources, so RED is not triggered.

§05 — Timeline

01 Oct 2024
Diet Coke shortage hits India due to aluminium supply crunch from West Asia conflict
YouTube (Industry Report) · ref 1
15 Oct 2024
Retail stock-outs of Diet Coke reported in major Indian cities
YouTube (Industry Report) · ref 1
01 Nov 2024
Diet Coke single-format packaging risk exposed by shortage
Packnode · ref 2

§04 — Evidence Trail

01Diet Coke shortage hits India due to aluminium supply crunch from West Asia conflict — YouTube (Industry Report)02Diet Coke single-format packaging risk exposed by shortage — Packnode
Assessed under donteat.in methodology v1 · six-axis framework.

§06 — Ingredients

Carbonated Water, Colour (Caramel E150d), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose), Acids (Phosphoric Acid, Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Flavourings (including Caffeine), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrate), Sweetener (Sucralose)