Trader Joe’s has sparked a wave of excitement among its shoppers with the introduction of its newest product.

This latest offering arrives just in time for those setting bold health goals for the new year.

The popular grocery chain has embraced a trend that has gained momentum in recent years: prebiotic soda.

Famous for its unique offerings—from its Everything But the Bagel seasoning to its iconic tote bags that once fetched thousands online despite their $2.99 price tag—Trader Joe’s is at it again.

Now, the beloved grocery store has added its own twist to the burgeoning better-for-you soda movement.

A shopper in Massachusetts spotted bright pink and red cans of the pop stocked on shelves at their local stores earlier this week and spread the word online.

So far, the $1.99 beverage is offered in a Strawberry Vanilla or Cherry Cola flavor. 

With just four grams of sugar and 30 calories per can, the Strawberry Vanilla flavor is made with strawberry purée, cane sugar, apple cider vinegar, and stevia. 

Trader Joe’s customers are fizzing with excitement as the store’s latest product hits shelves

A shopper in Massachusetts spotted bright pink and red cans of the pop stocked on shelves at their local Trader Joe’s earlier this week and spread the word online

‘It’s a fun, fruity, and phenomenally fizzy drink that can be enjoyed in all kinds of contexts,’ according to the Trader Joe’s website. 

The Cherry Cola version has five grams of sugar and 40 calories, and has almost the same recipe, but with cherry juice instead of the strawberry purée. 

Despite the grocer’s efforts to offer customers something new and healthy going into 2026, some shoppers are not pleased with one controversial ingredient. 

‘I was so upset when I saw stevia on the ingredients list. I can’t wait until it’s out of style,’ a Trader Joe’s fan wrote in response to the product’s arrival on Reddit. 

‘This was my first question. Can’t stand stevia,’ someone else chimed in.

Another added: ‘Stevia is absolutely disgusting!’

‘Ugh where’s the anti stevia petition,’ a different user wrote. 

Many other users in the Reddit thread were excited to try the new product, which was quickly compared to well-established prebiotic soda brands, such as Poppi and OLIPOP. 

The new beverage was quick to be compared to well-established prebiotic soda brands, such as Poppi (pictured: Elsa Hosk attends a Poppi Soda party in Montauk) 

Poppi pioneered the concept of a gut-friendly soda in 2018 

Poppi pioneered the concept of a gut-friendly soda when founders Allison and Stephen Ellsworth pitched the concept — then branded ‘Mother Beverage’ — on Shark Tank in 2018. 

The couple secured a $400,000 deal with guest Shark Rohan Oza for 25 percent equity, leading to a major rebrand into the sparkling prebiotic soda Poppi with vibrant, modern packaging and a focus on gut health.

However, Poppi’s rise to the top of the beverage chain did not come without controversy.

A class-action lawsuit in 2024 claimed the company’s ‘gut health’ marketing is misleading, since each soda contains only a small amount of prebiotic fiber that critics say offers minimal real benefit. 

Poppi, which insisted at the time that the lawsuit was baseless, settled the case for $8.9 million.

The brand also faced backlash for an influencer marketing stunt where it sent expensive vending machines to influencers, which many people saw as wasteful and out of touch. 

Poppi defended its campaign at the time, with its co-founder Allison Ellsworth saying that ‘these vending machines will be a part of the brand for years to come.’

Regardless, many other brands have since hopped on the beverage trend, and Trader Joe’s is the latest to cash in on the concept.