The Coca-Cola Company claims that the “vast majority” of their drinks are vegan. Is it true? Is Coca-Cola Vegan?
While perusing Coca-Cola’s UK website the other day, I came across a page on which the company claims that the “vast majority” of their drinks are vegan. The website states that none of the Coca‑Cola and Schweppes brands beverages contain milk, eggs or any products derived from mammals. However, the website notes, vegans and vegetarians should note that a few of their beverages contain small traces of fish gelatine, which is used as a stabilizer for the beta-carotene color. The sodas listed seemed to be available only in the UK. What about in the US?
According to a blog post by Joshua Cuellar Coke’s Sodas Are Vegan & Coke’s Juices Are Not, Coca-Cola wrote him a long email about the topic. In the email the company stated that some Coca-Cola products contain cochineal (which is listed on the label), and some products contain milk (which is also listed on the label).
Some Coca-Cola juice products contain Vitamin D3, which is usually derived from lanolin. Lanolin is a natural oil in the fiber of sheep’s wool. It is separated from the wool after the sheep’s hair is cut (sheared). Lanolin oil is obtainable without harming the sheep but may be an issue for strict vegans.
The email goes on to say that some of Coca-Cola’s suppliers use a common industry practice for grape juice clarification that does involve animal by-products. The gelatin used to clarify the juice is made from bovine skin. Make note, in the US gelatin is derived from pigs – not fish – and the gelatin is used for juice clarification not color stabilization. Curious.
All that said, Coca-Cola claims that in the US, the only Coca-Cola brand products that are currently produced with cochineal are Minute Maid Juices To Go Ruby Red Grapefruit Drink, Jugos Del Valle Strawberry Banana Juice Nectar, and Jugos Del Valle Strawberry Juice Nectar. And, the only currently manufactured Coca-Cola brand products that contain milk are Far Coast (World of Coca-Cola only), FUZE Refresh, and Minute Maid Fruit and Creme Swirls.
Is Cola-Cola vegan? Looks like it, but many of Coke’s other products are not. In the end, no matter why you choose to be vegan – for your health, religious beliefs, to reduce your carbon footprint or to eliminate animal suffering – Coca-Cola’s vegan status seems like nothing more than Coca-Cola conveniently exploiting their ingredient list.
What do you think? Coca-Cola veganism: Marketing ploy or corporate mission?
If you really want to get down to technicalities, Diet Coke is sweetened with Aspartame, one of the big three artificial sweeteners produced by yours truly, Monsanto. For most of us vegetarians Monsanto does not sit well.
That’s actually a common misconception. While I’m not defending aspartame, it’s no longer sold by Monsanto. They sold it to another big chemical company back in the 90s. Aspartame still has lots of issues, though, for sure!
I really don’t know why “exploiting their ingredient list” is a problem. Coke isn’t the first food or beverage company to do this. Suddenly in the past 5-10 years we have cookies, nut butters, even personal care products that are labeled “gluten free!” but have their formulas changed? No. They’re just being marketed to an emerging niche of consumers, and that is a practically ancient practice. Coke is no different and they every right to market their products to any niche they want as long as they’re being truthful. And they are being truthful here. I don’t see what the big deal is.
Thanks, Jenifer. Your article is a second one I stumbled upon while researchig on whether Coca Cola is vegan or not. The first one was this one: http://veganmeter.com/is-coca-cola-vegan/.
I tend to avoid all those sodas. I just was curious, because my sister’s children drink soda like crazy. Now I have enough evidence to start convincing here to give less of that crap to their children.
Cheers
Almost all sodas are NOT vegetarian as they use animal charcoal filters to filter sugar… it’s like having a Boca burger cooked on a meat skillet, hardly vegetarian.
The difference between the words “vegan” and “vegetarian” are very misleading here. A vegetarian has one restriction in their diet – they do not eat meat. That’s it. Vegans on the other hand, do not consume any animal products or byproducts. It is not just a diet, it is a lifestyle. We do not buy leather, suede, wool, etc. In your article, many times you used the word vegetarian. This article has nothing to do with the consumption of meat, therefor it only regards to vegans. This is a classic type of misinformation, even if only accidental. It hurts the vegan movement when you include vegetarians with vegans, because vegetarianism is absolutely not the same thing – the two should never be lumped together for countless reasons.
As the other comment stated though, most sodas containing sugar are not vegan. In the UK I believe their sugar is not refined with bone char, but in the US it is. There are vegan sodas though that use stevia instead of sugar. These are also zero calorie, but unlike most zero calorie sodas you’ll find on the market, (Fresca, Diet Coke, etc.) sodas using stevia do not contain phenylalanine and have a low glycemic index.
I hope this helps you with future articles!
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Shelbi!
Hei Shelbi i am vegetarian not vegan but i also don’t consume eggs, cochineal or gelatine. What’s more i don’t use leather or any other product that involves an animal dying. This article does pertain to vegetarians because i want to know I’m not eating any meat product like pigs blood (that’s what the rumor was about coke) or these other products that are essentially ‘meat’like cochineal.
Assuming vegetarianism is not also a lifestyle, you end up expressing a kind of vegan arrogance that can actually put off meat eaters from changing their lifestyle or diet to a more plant based one. Please check your pride at the door when advicating your lifestyle.