Is Tab still available?

No. The Coca-Cola Company discontinued Tab in October 2020 after 57 years of production. The brand is no longer manufactured or distributed. Remaining inventory sold out by early 2021.

Tab was owned by The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) for its entire existence from 1963 to 2020. Coca-Cola developed Tab internally as its first diet cola. Tab was a product line, not a separate company.

When was Tab introduced?

Coca-Cola introduced Tab in 1963. It was the company's first diet cola, predating Diet Coke by 19 years. The brand was created to compete with Royal Crown's Diet Rite and Pepsi's Patio Diet Cola.

Why was Tab discontinued?

Coca-Cola discontinued Tab in October 2020 as part of a portfolio reduction that eliminated approximately 200 brands. Tab's sales volume was minimal, and the company wanted to focus resources on higher-growth products. The decision was announced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What sweeteners did Tab use?

Tab originally used cyclamate and saccharin. After the FDA banned cyclamate in 1969, Tab switched to saccharin. In later years, the formula included aspartame as well. Tab carried FDA-mandated saccharin warning labels from 1977 until the warning was delisted in 2000.

What was Tab's pink can?

Tab's pink can was introduced in the 1970s and became one of the most recognizable beverage packaging designs of the era. The pink color was associated with the brand's targeting of female consumers interested in diet products. The can is now a collectible item.

Food & Beverage

Who Owns Tab?

Tab was a diet cola product line owned by The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO). Coca-Cola introduced Tab in 1963 as its first diet soda and discontinued the brand in October 2020 as part of a portfolio reduction. Tab is no longer produced or sold.

Parent Company

The Coca-Cola Company

Founded

1963

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Tab Timeline

1892

The Coca-Cola Company

Parent company established in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company Founded

1963

Tab

Founded by The Coca-Cola Company (internal development)

Founded

mid rangemass marketUnited States

Who Owns Tab?

Parent Company: The Coca-Cola Company
Ownership Type: Product line
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: NYSE: KO

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
Tab	The Coca-Cola Company	Product line

Where to Buy

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Tab on Amazon

History of Tab

Founded: 1963
Founders: The Coca-Cola Company (internal development)

Coca-Cola introduced Tab in 1963 as its first diet cola. The move was a response to Royal Crown Cola's Diet Rite, launched in 1958, and Pepsi's Patio Diet Cola. The diet soda market was small but growing, and Coca-Cola needed a competing product.

The name "Tab" came from a computer-generated list of short names. Coca-Cola's marketing team liked it because it was easy to say and suggested "keeping tabs" on calorie intake. The original formula used cyclamate and saccharin as sweeteners.

In 1969, the FDA banned cyclamate after animal studies linked it to cancer. Tab had to reformulate, switching to saccharin as its primary sweetener. The reformulation changed the taste. In 1977, the FDA required warning labels on saccharin-containing products, stating the sweetener may cause cancer in laboratory animals. Tab carried these labels for years. The warning was delisted in 2000 when further research showed saccharin was not a human carcinogen.

Tab's pink can, introduced in the 1970s, became an iconic piece of beverage packaging. The marketing targeted women specifically. Commercials featured slim women and slogans like "keeping your shape in shape has its rewards." The positioning was a product of its era and would be considered problematic by current standards.

The brand peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Tab was one of the best-selling diet sodas in the United States. Then Diet Coke launched in 1982 and changed everything. Diet Coke used the Coca-Cola name, which carried far more weight with consumers than Tab. Diet Coke was gender-neutral and backed by Coca-Cola's full marketing budget. It quickly passed Tab in sales.

Tab never recovered. Sales declined through the 1980s and 1990s. But a small group of loyal customers, sometimes called "Tab-aholics," kept buying it. Their dedication was unusual. They stockpiled Tab, traded it online, and contacted Coca-Cola regularly to make sure the brand was not discontinued. This loyalty kept Tab in production for decades despite minimal marketing support.

In October 2020, Coca-Cola announced Tab's discontinuation. The company was cutting about 200 brands to streamline operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans responded with petitions, social media campaigns, and news interviews. None of it changed Coca-Cola's decision. Production ceased by the end of 2020.

About The Coca-Cola Company

Who owns The Coca-Cola Company?
The Coca-Cola Company is a publicly traded corporation owned by its shareholders. Berkshire Hathaway is the largest single shareholder with approximately 9% of outstanding shares. Other major holders include Vanguard Group and BlackRock. The company has no controlling owner.

Is Coca-Cola publicly traded?
Yes, The Coca-Cola Company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol KO. It is a component of both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company has been publicly traded since 1919.

What is Coca-Cola's annual revenue?
For FY2025, Coca-Cola reported net revenues of $47.9 billion, up 2% from $47.1 billion in FY2024. Organic revenues grew 5%. Full-year EPS was $3.04, and comparable EPS was $3.00.

Who is Coca-Cola's CEO?
Henrique Braun became CEO on March 31, 2026. He succeeded James Quincey, who transitioned to Executive Chairman after nine years as CEO. Braun previously served as COO and has worked at Coca-Cola for three decades.

How many brands does Coca-Cola own?
Coca-Cola owns more than 500 beverage brands sold in over 200 countries. Approximately 30 brands generate annual retail sales of at least $1 billion each. Major brands include Coca-Cola, Coke Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, Smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Costa Coffee, and Fairlife.

What is Coca-Cola's business model?
Coca-Cola produces beverage concentrates and sells them to approximately 225 independent bottling partners worldwide. These bottlers manufacture, package, and distribute finished beverages. This franchise model generates high margins on concentrate sales while bottling partners handle capital-intensive manufacturing and distribution.

What is Coca-Cola's 2026 outlook?
Coca-Cola projects organic revenue growth of 4% to 5% and comparable EPS growth of 7% to 8% for 2026. The company expects an approximate 1% currency tailwind and an approximate 4% headwind from acquisitions and divestitures, primarily from the pending CCBA sale.

How many people does Coca-Cola employ?
As of December 31, 2025, Coca-Cola employed approximately 65,900 people, of which approximately 8,900 were located in the United States. The decrease from 69,700 in 2024 was primarily due to divestiture activity.

Founded: 1892
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock: NYSE: KO
Revenue: $47.9 billion (FY2025)
Employees: Approximately 65,900

Visit The Coca-Cola Company website

View full company profile for The Coca-Cola Company

Where Is Tab Made / Based?

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Tab Categories & Tags

Soft Drink Beverage Carbonated Diet Cola Discontinued

Tab Sustainability & Ethics

Tab is a discontinued brand. Its sustainability profile is historical, not current. During its production years from 1963 to 2020, Tab was manufactured through Coca-Cola's bottling system, which operated under the company's environmental standards. Tab's aluminum cans were recyclable through standard recycling programs.

Coca-Cola has set corporate sustainability targets including 100% recyclable packaging by 2025 and net-zero emissions by 2050. These targets apply to Coca-Cola's current portfolio, not to discontinued brands like Tab.

Tab was not cruelty-free certified, vegan certified, B Corp certified, or organic certified. These certifications are not standard for carbonated soft drinks.

Awards & Recognition

Tab did not receive major industry awards. The brand's recognition is primarily cultural rather than formal. Tab is cited in beverage industry histories as the first diet cola produced by Coca-Cola and one of the earliest diet sodas in the United States.

The brand's pink can has been referenced in design and marketing publications as an example of effective packaging design from the 1970s. Tab's discontinuation in 2020 received coverage from The New York Times, CBS News, The Conversation, and multiple food and beverage trade publications, reflecting the brand's cultural resonance despite its small market size.

Tab Recalls & Controversies

Cyclamate Ban (1969): The FDA banned cyclamate, one of Tab's original sweeteners, in 1969 after animal studies suggested a link to cancer. Tab had to reformulate, replacing cyclamate with saccharin. The ban affected the entire diet soda industry, not just Tab.

Saccharin Warning Labels (1977): After the cyclamate ban, Tab relied on saccharin. In 1977, the FDA required warning labels on saccharin-containing products, stating the sweetener may cause cancer in laboratory animals. Tab carried these labels for over two decades. The warning was delisted in 2000 after the National Toxicology Program determined saccharin was not a human carcinogen.

Marketing and Gender Targeting: Tab's 1970s marketing campaigns have been criticized retrospectively for sexist messaging and body image implications. Commercials featured slim women and slogans focused on weight control. The targeting was exclusively female, which by contemporary standards would be considered narrow and problematic.

Discontinuation Backlash (2020): Coca-Cola's decision to discontinue Tab generated significant consumer backlash. Fans organized petitions, contacted media outlets, and protested on social media. Some fans questioned whether COVID-19 supply chain issues were a convenient excuse to eliminate a brand that Coca-Cola had already planned to cut. Coca-Cola maintained that the decision was part of a broader portfolio strategy.

Tab Ownership: Pros & Cons

Advantages

+Was distributed through Coca-Cola's global bottling network during its production years
+Benefited from Coca-Cola's manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure
+Pioneered the diet cola category for Coca-Cola, creating the market that Diet Coke later dominated
+Built a cult following that kept the brand alive for decades with minimal marketing support

Considerations

-Discontinued in 2020; no longer produced or available
-Sales were marginal for decades before discontinuation
-Diet Coke cannibalized Tab's market share starting in 1982
-Faced two artificial sweetener regulatory crises (cyclamate ban, saccharin warnings)
-Marketing would be considered sexist by contemporary standards

Frequently Asked Questions About Tab

Sources & Further Reading

Competitors to Tab

These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.

Brand	Parent Company	Country	Founded	Market Position	Primary Market	Gender Target
VaultSister Brand	Coca Cola Company	USA	2005	Mass market	United states	Mens
Coke Zero SugarSister Brand	Coca Cola Company	USA	2005	Mass market	Global	All Genders
Dr Pepper	Keurig Dr Pepper	USA	1885	Mass market	United states	All Genders
Mello YelloSister Brand	Coca Cola Company	USA	1979	Mass market	United states	All Genders
Pepsi	Pepsico	USA	1898	Mass market	Global	All-ages
Barq'sSister Brand	Coca Cola Company	USA	1898	Mass market	United states	All-ages