Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Both Saw the Health Trend Coming. Only One of Them Actually Got Ahead of It.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are taking very different paths through the health-conscious-beverage boom, and one is pulling away in a big way.
Overview
For years, both Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) talked about the same shift: Consumers were pulling back from sugar and reaching for lighter, healthier drinks. Seeing a trend and getting ahead of it are two very different things, though. And the latest quarter makes clear that only one of these giants actually did the hard work early. And it's not close.
The proof is in Coke's second-quarter results, and it runs right through its zero-sugar lineup. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar grew 16% globally, and not in one lucky region but across every geographic segment. Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Light added another 7%, led by North America and Asia. This is not a fluke. It is the payoff from investing earlier, more broadly, and more inventively in sugar-free and functional drinks.
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Originally published at www.fool.com.