Lilt has officially been axed after 48 years

Lilt has been officially discontinued from shelves after almost 50 years on the market.

The fizzy drink is beloved by many, but now the brand – owned by Coca Cola – is set to disappear for good.

More on that in the video below: 

The iconic drink, Lilt, has been axed after nearly 50 years.

The drink will be rebranded as Fanta pineapple and grapefruit. pic.twitter.com/VYwLe7qHpm

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 14, 2023

READ MORE: Try Twisted’s Miso Lemon Udon recipe

Lilt has offered customers a “totally tropical taste: since the 1970s, but as of today (February 14th) the brand is merging with Fanta, and the drink will now be called Fanta Pineapple & Grapefruit instead.

Sob.

The good thing is, this means Lilt loyalists will still be able to enjoy their favourite drinks. In fact, Coca Cola has announced that the ingredients and flavour won’t change at all.

“Absolutely nothing has changed when it comes to the iconic taste,” Coke executive Martin Attock told The Grocer.

It’s just the branding people will have to wave goodbye to. Still, anyone else feeling nostalgic?

Lilt has been discontinued (Credit: Lilt)

READ MORE: Try Twisted’s Buffalo Chicken Garlic Dough Balls recipe

Reacting to the news on social media, it’s fair to say that the news had hit some people hard.

“Our rational minds told us this day may come, but our hearts always held onto hope,” said Love Island’s Georgia Townend. “Our beloved Lilt has succumbed to gentrification of the worst kind.”

Meanwhile, another wrote: “I shall of course be moaning about the death of Lilt for weeks, despite not having drunk it since 1987, which was about the last time I had a Marathon and an Opal Fruit.”

“Lilt dead… yet Vanilla Coke lives on. Strange world,” said a third.

As a fourth joked: “The government needs to step in. Nationalise Lilt.”

The new Fanta bottles with Lilt inside (Credit: Coca Cola)

READ MORE: Try Twisted’s Croque Madame Breakfast Hash recipe

Suspicion first arose of Lilt’s axe after cans were redesigned using the Fanta font last year. Sure enough, the slow transition into Fanta bottles was in action, and now Coca Cola has gone the whole hog.

Fans of Lilt will likely remember the adverts featuring ‘Lilt man delivering cans of the fizzy drinks to those on a beach.

In the 1990s, advertising switched to show two Jamaican women dubbed the Lilt ladies, who became the face of the brand. They were played by Blanche Williams and Hazel Palmer.

RIP Lilt, gone but not forgotten.