Fanta and Coke are two of the most popular soft drinks in the world and Coke is well-known to be bad for you but what about Fanta? Is Fanta better or worse than Coke? How do these two drinks compare in terms of sugar content and calories? Which drink is healthier? In this article, we look at their ingredients and nutritional values in detail to answer these questions.
Fanta vs Coke – Ingredients
Here is how Fanta and Coke compare side by side in terms of ingredients:
| DRINK | INGREDIENTS |
| Coca Cola Original Taste | Carbonated water, Sugar, Caramel Colour (E150d), Phosphoric Acid, Caffeine, Natural flavours |
| Fanta | Carbonated Water, Sugar, Orange Juice from Concentrate (3.7%), Citrus Fruit from Concentrate (1.3%), Citric Acid, Vegetable Extracts (Carrot, Pumpkin), Sweeteners (Acesulfame K, Sucralose), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Malic Acid, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrate), Stabiliser (Guar Gum), Natural Orange Flavourings with Other Natural Flavourings, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid). |
Both drinks contain carbonated water and sugar but this is where similarities end.
Coca Cola has a very short list of ingredients while Fanta’s ingredient list is much longer. This doesn’t mean Coke is any healthier of course.
One reason why Fanta has a longer list of ingredients is due to its flavour. Its fruity flavour is achieved with several ingredients such as orange juice from concentrate, citrus fruit from concentrate, natural orange flavourings and other natural flavourings.
The other notable difference between Coke and Fanta is the type of sweetening agents they use to make them sweet. In the case of Coke, only sugar is used, but in Fanta, there are also artificial sweeteners.
The other difference worth mentioning is caffeine. Coke has caffeine but Fanta doesn’t have any.
At first look, Fanta seems to be healthier as at least it contains some fruit-based ingredients but how healthy is it really? It’s difficult to judge based on the ingredients so we need to look at the nutritional values as well.
Fanta vs Coke – Nutritional values
Here is how Fanta and Coke compare side by side in terms of nutritional values (per 100 ml):
| DRINK | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | SUGARS | PROTEIN | SALT |
| Coca Cola Original Taste | 42kcal | 0g | 10.6g | 10.6g | 0g | 0g |
| Fanta | 19kcal | 0g | 4.6g | 4.6g | 0g | 0g |
Both drinks don’t offer much in terms of nutrition. They have 0g of protein and no fat. They are mainly carbs and have no salt.
The main difference between Coke and Fanta from a nutritional point of view is the sugar content and calories. Fanta has fewer calories and less sugar.
Sugar in Fanta vs Coke
Fanta has 4.6g of sugar in 100ml while Coke has 10.6g. That’s slightly more than 1 teaspoon of sugar in Fanta and 2 and a half teaspoons of sugar in Coke. However, if you drink 200ml of Coke, the sugar content will double and you will consume 5 teaspoons of added sugar. 200ml of Fanta will give you a bit more than 2 teaspoons of sugar.
The reason why Fanta has less sugar is because they use artificial sweeteners (Acesulfame K and Sucralose) to substitute some of the sugar to make this drink slightly healthier. The addition of artificial sweeteners also means that Fanta is lower in calories.
Fanta vs Coke: Which one is healthier?
Fanta has fewer calories and less sugar than Coke and for this reason, it seems to be healthier, however, it is not that simple.
To reduce Fanta’s calories and sugar content, the brand is using artificial sweeteners which are considered safe but come with drawbacks. For example, they can disrupt the balance of bacteria in your gut and also come with other concerns.
So, does that mean that Coke is healthier? No, Coke is full of sugar which is associated with a host of health problems, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
So what does that mean? This means that none of the drinks is healthy but if you need to choose, have Fanta as an occasional treat as it is lower in calories. This will not have a big impact on your health.