A Big Change Is Coming To Diet Snapple

Popular bottled drink brand Snapple has been around for the past few decades, but fans may not be seeing Diet Snapple on shelves for much longer. Per the company's website, its line of no-sugar drinks is being rebranded as Zero Sugar Snapple, which it says will be the same Diet Snapple fans know and love, just with a new name and label. But why bother?

The desire to cut fat and sugar from our diets — in an attempt to get healthy or stay that way — has been a part of food culture for a while, and it appears the word "diet" is going the way of the dodo. Professor of nutrition and psychiatry Susan Roberts explained to NPR back in 2016: "Dieting is not a fashionable word these days. [Consumers] equate the word diet with deprivation, and they know deprivation doesn't work." 

And research supports Roberts' comment. Market research firm Mintel says fewer people are picking up diet products, with 77% of those who responded to a 2015 survey shared they don't believe diet products are as healthy as they are advertised, and 61% feel most diets aren't healthy at all. Additionally, Mintel analyst Marissa Gilbert pointed to society's slowly increasing acceptance of bodies of all sizes as a reason the word "diet" is losing traction.

While that change in attitude has been a victory for body positivity, it's been problematic for the dieting industry, which NPR reported in 2016 was seeing a hit in sales.

This change in attitude has given rise to a new name for Snapple's six sugar-free beverages: Zero Sugar Peach Tea, Zero Sugar Lemon Tea, Zero Sugar Raspberry Tea, Zero Sugar Half n' Half Lemonade Iced Tea, Zero Sugar Takes 2 to Mango Tea, and Zero Sugar Trop-A-Rocka Tea. Reporting on the name change, Food & Wine shared a new flavor is also being added to the Zero Sugar lineup: Kiwi Strawberry.

Katie Webb, vice president of brand marketing for Keurig Dr Pepper (which manages the Snapple brand) confirmed to the outlet: "The past few years, we have seen a major shift from diet culture in beverages, and the tea consumer is no different. The decision to reposition Diet Snapple to Snapple Zero Sugar was a choice made to deliver on our consumer's needs."

Simply put, no one is buying into the "diet" label anymore.