Okay, so check this out – I dove headfirst into figuring out the ingredients label situation for Fresca the other day. It all started when my friend, Sarah, swore up and down that Fresca had some weird artificial sweetener in it that was giving her headaches. I was like, “Nah, can’t be! It tastes so…clean!” But you know how it is, gotta investigate.
First things first, I grabbed a can of Fresca from the fridge. I mean, you gotta start with the real thing, right? I squinted at the tiny print on the can. It was a pain to read, even with my glasses. I was looking for anything that screamed “artificial,” like aspartame or saccharin. I saw “citric acid,” “potassium citrate,” and a bunch of other “ates” and “ides” that I couldn’t pronounce.
I took a picture with my phone and zoomed way in. Still blurry! Then, I remembered my phone has this magnifier app buried somewhere. Dug it out, and BAM! Crystal clear. The actual ingredients listed were: Carbonated Water, Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Potassium Benzoate (To Protect Taste), Aspartame, Lemon and Lime Flavors, Acesulfame Potassium.
Aspartame! Sarah was right! I felt so betrayed by my beloved Fresca.
Next, I wanted to see if it was just THIS particular can. Maybe it was an old recipe or something? So, I went online. I Googled “Fresca ingredients label” and checked out a few different websites. Most of them just copied and pasted the same info from the can. Super helpful.
I then decided to go straight to the source. I went to the Coca-Cola website, since they own Fresca. I had to dig around a bit, but I finally found the product page for Fresca. Buried in the FAQs, there was a question about the ingredients. Lo and behold, it listed aspartame and acesulfame potassium. Double whammy!
I even tried to find older versions of the label online using the Wayback Machine (*). It’s a website that archives old versions of websites. I didn’t find anything super conclusive, but it seemed like Fresca has been using artificial sweeteners for a while now. Bummer.
- Grabbed a can of Fresca.
- Squinted at the label.
- Used my phone’s magnifier app.
- Discovered aspartame!
- Googled “Fresca ingredients label”.
- Checked the Coca-Cola website.
- Confirmed the artificial sweeteners.
- Tried the Wayback Machine (unsuccessfully).
So, the moral of the story? Sarah was right. Fresca does have artificial sweeteners. I guess I’ll be switching to sparkling water with a squeeze of lime. It’s a sad day for Fresca lovers, but at least I know what I’m putting in my body now.
