Coca-Cola to launch 90-calorie mini-cans of soda

Trailers are parked outside of Coca-Cola Bottling facility in Niles, Illinois February 12, 2009.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co said on Wednesday it will launch 90-calorie mini cans of soda to help consumers manage their calorie intake.

The world's largest soft drink maker said the smaller packages will be available for the Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Cherry Coca-Cola and Barq's Root Beer brands. The cans will be sold in packages of eight.

The mini cans will debut in New York and Washington D.C. in December. Their nationwide roll-out should be "well under way" by March, the company said.

The Atlanta-based company said last month it would include calorie information on the front of nearly all its packages as it intensifies efforts to raise consumer awareness about nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

The moves come in the wake of increasingly vocal calls in Washington for taxes on sugary drinks and junk food to help fight the problem of obesity in the United States.

(Reporting by Martinne Geller, editing by Matthew Lewis)