Left image via Coca Cola/ Right image via E! //
Popular lemon-flavoured soft drink Lift will be officially removed from Australian supermarket shelves by the end of the year.
Coca Cola — which owns Lift and a variety of other beverage brands — announced the discontinuation overnight, saying it will shift focus to the similar-tasting alternative, Sprite+. Bottles and cans of the original soda, which has long been a staple in Aussie fridges, will reach the grocery graveyard by the end of this month.
In its place will be fellow Coca Cola offshoot Sprite, which is offering a more caffeinated version of the lemon drink in both full and zero sugar flavours. “’After listening to our customers, our focus is on our new Sprite Lemon+ range” a Coca Cola spokesperson said, “which we believe will be popular with our existing Lift drinkers.”
Rumours of Lift’s discontinuation first began in July, when a food review TikTok user theorised what his McDonald’s hangover meal might taste like without the tangy refreshment. In a separate video reviewing its replacement, the user said “Sprite does not … hold up to Lift and they need to bring back Lift.”
@russ.eats BREAKING NEWS: Lift rumoured to be killed and replaced ! #russeats #goss #lift #cocacola #cocacolaamatil #food #junkfood #softdrink ♬ original sound – Russ.Eats™️
It comes weeks after news broke that fellow beloved Australian foodstuff Starburst would likewise be discontinued. The lolly’s parent company Mars Wrigley, which also owns Extra chewing gum, Snickers and Skittles, cited supply chain issues and cost of living pressures as reasons for the product’s death.
But Lift is vastly superior to Sprite
— Ben (@beninthecapita1) September 13, 2022
After hearing about Starburst being discontinued in Australia. pic.twitter.com/xOeswY6ieF
— Brent Ford (@BrentFord26) August 10, 2022
Coca-Cola discontinued Lift in Australia? The hell, that was my favourite soda…
— The Specter of Socialism (@canuckerrant) September 13, 2022
