Coke Goes "Au Natural"

This is a great move by Coke (NYSE:KO) and gives it a leg up on Pepsi (NYSE:PEP)

Coke is expected to launch a drink in the United States this week containing a natural, calorie-free sweetener Coke is pushing ahead even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had not yet issued formal approval of the ingredient, the paper said. They plan to market three flavors of a juice drink in its Odwalla line that contain the sweetener derived from the herb stevia, the paper said.,p>The world's biggest soft-drink maker is also planning to add the natural sweetener to some of its Glaceau drinks, which include vitaminwater and smartwater, Beverage Digest publisher John Sicher said on Monday. A Coke spokesman said the company would not comment until the FDA approves the sweetener, which it co-developed with agribusiness giant Cargill Inc.

After years of fording diet coke past the gaga reflex to lose weight, perhaps people can have a decent tasting diet drink..