Diet Rite is the first diet soda that appeared in 1954 by The Royal Crown Company.
History[]
Introduced by The Royal Crown Company, Diet Rite was the first diet beverage developed nationally by the soft drink industry. Marketed for diabetics and people who could not consume large amounts of sugar, product testing began in 1954. The response was overwhelming!
By 1963 Diet Rite was the 4 best-selling soft drink in the country. Competitors began to flood the market, and by 1964, two dozen diet products emerged. Still, Diet Rite remained the most popular diet cola while Tab and Diet Pepsi closed in on the second spot.
Diet Rite was revolutionary; it had no calories, sodium, or caffeine, which made it perfect for RC’s more health-conscious soda consumers. In March 2000, Diet Rite became the first diet cola to be sweetened with SPLENDA brand sweetener. Today Diet Rite is available in cola, white grape, tangerine, black cherry, cherry cola, and red raspberry flavors.
RC continued its tradition of excellence by also producing the first caffeine-free diet cola known as RC 100 and the first diet cherry cola known as Diet Cherry RC. Since the spin-off of Diet Rite and its flavor line into a separate brand, RC has developed its own diet drink known as Diet RC.