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Coca-Cola Debuts Vitamin-Supplement Drink

Posted on: Thursday, 26 January 2006, 21:00 CST

By Fran Daniel, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.

Coca-Cola Consolidated debuted a vitamin- and mineral-supplement drink called Defense in the Triad this week.

The Charlotte Coca-Cola bottler said that the beverage helps boost the immune system and is the first high-tech beverage. The beverage uses FreshCan technology, which keeps vitamins and minerals dry and separate from the liquid until consumers activate the mixture by opening the can.

Brain Twist Inc. in New York created the beverage and Degussa FreshTech Beverages and Ball Corp. developed the FreshCan technology.

"This is a whole new departure for us from our traditional soft drinks," said Lauren Steele, a spokesman for Coca-Cola Consolidated.

The vitamins and minerals contained in Defense include zinc, calcium, pectin and vitamins C, A, B2 and E.

Coca-Cola Consolidated is also testing Defense in the Charlotte area.

The company is selling the product in the cough and cold sections of CVS and Eckerd drugstores and in Lowes Foods and Bi-Lo. The beverage is available in orange and lemon-lime flavors in 14-5.-ounce cans. The retail price ranges from $2.49 to $2.99.

Coca-Cola Consolidated does not make claims that Defense can cure colds or the flu, saying that "it is a nutritional supplement and as such does not require FDA approval."

"We've got a unique combination of vitamins and minerals that are designed to help boost the immune system so your body can fight off colds," Steele said.

Mara Vitolins, an associate professor in public-health sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said that the vitamins and minerals used in the beverage are required for good health but only zinc has really shown some merit based on studies.

"I think it's kind of premature so say that by adding these nutrients you are going to boost your immune system and be able to fight off colds," she said.

She said she would be interested in studies that show how the vitamins and minerals are absorbed into the body.

Larry Trachtenbroit, the president and founder of Brain Twist, said his company has not done studies but is only using vitamins and minerals that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"We're not making any specific claims," he said.

He said that the FreshCan technology makes Defense unique and the first of its kind by keeping vitamins and minerals protected and fresh and by avoiding stabilization problems,

"What we're able to guarantee is that it doesn't matter if it's the first can or the one-millionth can, you're getting exactly the vitamins and minerals that are stated on the can because the consumer is the one that's activating the vitamins and minerals," he said.

Yesterday, Coca-Cola Consolidated provided free samples of Defense at several stores in the Triad, including Lowes Foods at Sherwood Plaza in Winston-Salem.

Robert Knight of Winston-Salem tried the orange flavor.

"It tastes way better than swallowing a pill," he said.

Knight was impressed with the technology used to keep the vitamins fresh.

"That is awesome," he said. "That's very creative."

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Copyright (c) 2006, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.

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