Carbonated soft drinks are not just flavored water in a can; they are regulated packaged foods. The FDA says carbonated soft drinks must be safe, sanitary, and honestly labeled, and the label normally includes serving size, calories, sodium, carbohydrate, sugars if present, protein, ingredients in order of predominance, net quantity, and manufacturer or distributor information https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/carbonated-soft-drinks-what-you-should-know. That detail matters for discontinued diet sodas because collectors and longtime fans often use old cans and bottles to decode what changed: the sweetener list, the calorie statement, the caffeine note, the logo, or even the order of ingredients.
For aspartame-sweetened diet drinks, labels can also carry special wording for people with phenylketonuria. The FDA’s carbonated soft drink guidance notes that diet carbonated soft drinks containing phenylalanine must include a phenylketonurics statement. Health Canada similarly explains that aspartame contains phenylalanine and that foods sweetened with it carry a statement for people who need that information https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/food-additives/sugar-substitutes/aspartame-artificial-sweeteners.html. For the average fan, the label may simply look nostalgic; for regulators and careful consumers, it is a record of what was in the drink.
Sweeteners Changed the Diet Soda Era
