New 90 Calorie Coke Can is Good Business Strategy, If Nothing Else

The Coca-Cola Company is all about health lately, apparently. It’s part of the recently launched Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a food industry-led anti-obesity campaign; it’s working with the American Academy of Family Physicians on a nutritional education campaign; and now it’s releasing Coke in a smaller can to help consumers manage their calorie intake.

Well, that’s the stated motive. It’s hypothetically possible that there are also some less altruistic motives for creating 90-calorie Coke containers — for example, the move makes the company look more friendly and health-conscious, and I’d imagine the profit margins are higher for the smaller cans.

Whether it will actually do anything to curb obesity remains to be seen. As Slate points out, people may just wind up drinking two mini cans of Coke instead of one regular can, which basically means they get more calories while feeling better about themselves for drinking in smaller portions.

Of course, as we know from company CEO Muhtar Kent’s recent op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, it’s not Coke that makes people fat; it’s lack of exercise. If Coke cans are smaller, maybe people will burn more calories just because they have to get up more often to grab a new one.

Or maybe not. Either way, Coca-Cola makes money.