Coca-Cola getting healthier?

Coca-Cola is a company which has frequently been criticised for promoting its sugary soft drinks to children - a criticism which it has just as frequently defended.

But despite protestations that its drinks are healthy, the company has clearly sought to benefit from the growth in sales of products which are perceived to be even healthier.

The increasing consumer appeal of nutritionally beneficial products has already led the Atlanta-based company to launch vitamin enriched versions of its Minute Maid fruit juice brand and to develop a major bottled water business which is set to rival even the well-established brands such as Evian and Perrier.

Now the company has confirmed rumours in US trade journal Beverage Digest that it is to launch a milk-based drink called Swerve in yet another attempt to gain a share of the nutritional beverage market.

Swerve will come in three flavours (chocolate, vanilla-banana and blueberry) and will have a high milk content - more than 50 per cent - enabling it to carry the important seal of approval from the American Dairy Association.

The milk will be rolled out in the US during the late summer months, in time to target children returning to school after their vacations. The drink is said not to require refrigeration before consumption.

Coke has been toying with milk drinks for some time, launching the Choglit​ brand in association with Nestlé last year, but the company has now decided to put all its not inconsiderable marketing might behind the Swerve brand. It is not clear whether the Choglit brand will remain as part of the Nestlé portfolio, however.

Coca-Cola's decision to go it alone with the Swerve brand may have been influenced by the high profile launch in January of Raging Cow​, a milk brand which attempts to move away from the traditional chocolate, banana and strawberry flavours with varieties such as Pina Colada Chaos.