NEW YORK—Coca-Cola’s profit fell in the third quarter as the world’s biggest drink maker booked charges related to its push to slash costs and reposition its business. The strong dollar also ate into its results.
The maker of Sprite, Fanta and Dasani water said Wednesday that global sales volume rose 3 percent in the period. That reflected a 6 percent increase in non-carbonated drinks, which Coke refers to as “still” beverages, and a 2 percent increase in sparkling” drinks, which primarily refers to sodas.
In North America, soda volume declined again, as Diet Coke fell 9.5 percent and regular Coke fell 3 percent. For years now, people in the U.S. have been moving away from sugary sodas, which have been blamed for fueling obesity rates and related ills like diabetes. But more recently, diet sodas have been falling at a steeper rate, a trend Coke blames on concerns people have about the safety of artificial sweeteners.
