Coca-Cola Goes Better With Calorie Counts

Quick. How many calories are in a can of Coke?

Answer: the classic version packs 140 calories into 12 ounces.

But soon you won't even have to turn the can around to find out. Coca-Cola says it's going to put "energy" information on the front of almost all its product packaging around the world by the end of 2011. The company is making the changes in the US now, after doing so already in Australia, Europe and Mexico.

How come? "Now more than ever, people expect facts about the products they consumers to be both readily available and visible," Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola's CEO said in a statement. There's also more and more chatter about taxing sugary beverages to fight obesity.

 

In August, the American Heart Association added sugar to its list of heart hazards, recommending that women consume no more than 100 calories a day in added sugar and men limit their intake to 150 calories.

If you can't wait for the revised labels or want to see the Coke line-up at a glance, there's a rundown of the calorie counts for its sodas here.

But be warned. You'll have to do a little math, if you want the straight dope about your preferred bottle or can. The darned chart is pegged to the near-mythical serving size of 8 oz. Barq's Floatz, a beverage we've never seen or tasted, tops the chart at 127 calories for an eight-ounce serving.

We were just as interested in caffeine info. For the biggest kick, grab a Mello Yello (any flavor) for 35 milligrams of caffeine per eight ounces, 12 more than you'll get from the same amount of Coke Classic. Diet Coke comes close though, with 31 milligrams of caffeine in an eight-ounce serving.