
What Coke Contains (2013) - fmela
https://medium.com/@kevin_ashton/what-coke-contains-221d449929ef
======
d0mdo0ss
> coca-leaf which comes from South America and is processed in a unique US
> government authorized factory in New Jersey to remove its addictive
> stimulant cocaine

According to Wikipedia "The Stepan Company is the only manufacturing plant
authorized by the Federal Government to import and process the coca plant,
which it obtains mainly from Peru and, to a lesser extent, Bolivia. Besides
producing the coca flavoring agent for Coca-Cola, the Stepan Company extracts
cocaine from the coca leaves, which it sells to Mallinckrodt, a St. Louis,
Missouri, pharmaceutical manufacturer that is the only company in the United
States licensed to purify cocaine for medicinal use."

~~~
nostromo
It would be interesting to see how the cocaine supply line works. I imagine
they'd need armored vehicles and a lot of security for the entire trip from NJ
to MO.

~~~
jonknee
No more so that the security used for painkillers like Oxycontin. I haven't
seen armed guards doing deliveries at CVS, but you never know. There are a lot
less suspicious ways to acquire cocaine than to hijack a semi.

~~~
jonnathanson
It's not unheard of for even more common drugs to travel by armored car with
armed guards. Sudafed, for instance. Especially in rural areas with known meth
problems.

------
Someone1234
I wish Coca Cola would make a acid free version of coke. The Phosphoric Acid
adds a slight tang to the drink, but in exchange absolutely destroys your
teeth over years of consumption.

For regular drinkers like myself I'd happily pay a small premium to buy the
"acid free" version of the drink. The sugar still does damage but with both
the acid AND sugar it is like a double whammy of "badness" (acid which
destroys your teeth's natural protective coating, and sugar to feed the
bacteria which actually eat away at your teeth).

No amount of brushing can really undo the amount of damage acidic soda does to
your teeth, trust me I know! Even with prescription toothpaste with fluoride
5x times stronger than normal (5000 ppm toothpaste Vs. 1100 ppm) you're only
slowing down the progression.

~~~
bjelkeman-again
Try drinking water and eating fruit when you feel the urge to have a soft
drink. Maybe you do already. It worked really well for me.

~~~
dasil003
Seriously I think outright rejection of all sweetened drinks is probably the
best ROI for a dietary change one can make.

The whole truth about what soda pop and other heavily engineered processed
foods do to one's metabolism and general health is going to be shocking to
people when it is finally revealed, and I think tooth enamel is the least of
your worries.

~~~
a8da6b0c91d
Sodas are sugar water. We already know what sugar does: provide clean,
metabolically efficient, allergen free calories. If you're on the road or out
and about and hungry, a coke is often the healthiest choice you can make. The
quality of options such as fruits and meat and baked goods are typically
atrocious at convenience stores and fast food restaurants. Just get a coke and
some milk. Available at McDonald's and gas stations nationwide.

~~~
guyzero
This is borderline insane. Pure sugar results in huge swings of actual blood
sugar levels. Coke has zero fat, protein or complex carbohydrates all of which
are much better macronutrients than pure sugar.

If Coke is your only option, sure, but I've never seen a doughnut so terrible
that I'd take a coke instead.

~~~
a8da6b0c91d
Let me get this straight: you're advocating commercial dough deep fried in
corn or soy oil over some sugar? You have no idea what you're talking about.

Sugar does not produce major swings in blood sugar levels unless you're
diabetic. Have a working pancreas? Good, then sugars are a perfectly healthy
source of calories which your system will merrily mop up into glycogen.
Anyway, starch produces a larger insulin response than sugar, so the sugar
phobes are laughably ignorant on this count.

As for your concern with nutrients, the fact is an adult male needs 2400+
calories a day. Protein and other nutrient needs are very easily met with some
servings of foods such as eggs and milk and potatoes, still leaving a large
calorie deficit. Sugar is a perfectly viable way to add four hundred or so
calories to your daily diet. Sugary fruit is best, but high quality perfectly
ripe fruit is surprisingly difficult to find. Low quality, unripe fruit has
many allergens and toxins. In this context sugar is a very good choice.

Personally I daily have about 12 tsp of sugar (in coffee) and a coke. I'm
shredded, btw.

~~~
to3m
How on earth is it hard to eat 2500 calories?! What do you eat? Paper and
cardboard? If you find yourself 400 calories short, try a pork pie. If you're
800 calories short, eat two. If you're 1200 calories short, stop skipping
lunch.

~~~
aianus
Who eats 1200 calories for lunch? A whole Chipotle burrito and a drink is only
900 and you'd have to eat that much for breakfast, dinner, and lunch to get
past 2500 calories.

~~~
bluedino
>> Who eats 1200 calories for lunch?

1 big mac 540 calories, 1 large fry, 500 calories 1 large Coke 32 oz 310
calories total

------
jstalin
The same type of story as the classic "I, pencil," published in 1958:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%2C_Pencil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%2C_Pencil)

~~~
ad_hominem
A story sometimes referenced by Milton Friedman:
[http://youtu.be/4ERbC7JyCfU?t=19s](http://youtu.be/4ERbC7JyCfU?t=19s)

~~~
kevinflo
I'd love to see the same structure analyzed again by a marxist or something
instead of Friedman. Instead of focusing on the pencil getting made by this
almost unfathomably complex concert of global labor, you can focus on the few
bourgeoise actually profiting from it and how all of these disparate groups of
laborers are almost invisibly caught in/exploited by the web. Not that I think
either is the whole story, it would just be fun to listen to in the same way
that this was.

------
srean
The article waxes so eloquently about this beloved product that I would have
mistaken it for a paid PR piece. The article is great read nonetheless.

For those who are also interested in the other darker, grimier side of the
same coin, might want to check out its use of mercenaries for union busting in
South America(by murder of course. In the hands of the right spinners that
would be 'terrorism'), similar stuff happened in India as well.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-
Cola#Bottling...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-
Cola#Bottling_plant_murders)

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-
Cola#Environm...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-
Cola#Environmental_issues)

~~~
GFischer
The union-busting incident, while dark, seems to be an isolated incident.

If you saw the kinds of gangsters that become union leaders in South America
these days, you'd at least consider using mercenaries.

The local Coca Cola union head here in Uruguay is not a man to be trifled with
(Richard Read), he has gotten them incredible benefits (it pays better than
programming over here :P ).

And the guys in Argentina are legitimate thugs and crooks (well, so is the
government :P )

See for example:

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Moyano](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Moyano)

Edit: a side effect of such union power is that Uruguay has the most expensive
Coca-Cola in the world, a 2 liter bottle costs 3.5 dollars after taxes (so
almost twice what it costs in the U.S.)

~~~
nitrogen
_Edit: a side effect of such union power is that Uruguay has the most
expensive Coca-Cola in the world, a 2 liter bottle costs 3.5 dollars after
taxes (so almost twice what it costs in the U.S.)_

Does that reduce consumption to the point that there are noticeable
population-wide health benefits?

~~~
UrMomReadsHN
A 2 liter doesn't cost $1.25 here, a 20 ounce does. I can't recall what a 2
liter costs because I don't buy them but over $2 for sure.

~~~
GFischer
Hmmm, they were way cheaper in Toronto last time I was there, not sure about
U.S. prices but they should be even cheaper.

Instacart shows them at U$ 1.99 for San Francisco. Ironically the 20 ounce
ones are the same price.

Edit:
[https://www.instacart.com/store/items/98541](https://www.instacart.com/store/items/98541)

------
klinquist
You can make your own almost-Coke... OpenCola, the open-source cola.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenCola_(drink)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenCola_\(drink\))

~~~
nemof
our local indie cinema produces its own cola using this recipe, it's very
good, so good that they actually produce and sell it in bulk.

[http://www.cube-cola.org/](http://www.cube-cola.org/)

~~~
cpach
Cool :)

------
Theodores
You could say this about any product. I think the essay would be considerably
longer if it concerned a typical PC or phone, not to mention a car.

I also think the essay can be written with cynicism instead of wonder, e.g.
with an anti-capitalist slant. With one innocuous affordable purchase you can
deforest and pollute four continents whilst giving yourself diabetes and
dental caries!!!

~~~
pbreit
But I think a primary aspect of the essay had to do with a seemingly simple
item costing only $0.50.

~~~
hyperbovine
Now everyone can afford to destroy the planet!

------
gokhan
> The number of individuals who know how to make a can of Coke is zero.

This reminds me a fact I remember time to time. If civilization collapses
after, say, a world war, I most probably can't make a pot, can't grow plants,
can't differentiate if one is edible or not, can't dig for petrol, can't make
plastic (or even glass), can't reinvent concrete, can't make gunpowder etc.,
you get the point.

I can only write software and maybe drill with tools and nail with a hammer
but that's all.

~~~
johnchristopher
The english translation doesn't do justice to it but this comic is relevant:

[http://english.bouletcorp.com/2012/12/09/homo-
technologicus/](http://english.bouletcorp.com/2012/12/09/homo-technologicus/)

~~~
swimfar
The original French version:

[http://www.bouletcorp.com/blog/2009/03/01/homo-
technologicus...](http://www.bouletcorp.com/blog/2009/03/01/homo-
technologicus/)

Some people here (including Americans ;) ) do speak other languages. :)

------
bjornsing
> The top of the can is then added. This is carefully engineered: it is made
> from aluminum, but it has to be thicker and stronger to withstand the
> pressure of the carbon dioxide gas, and so it uses an alloy with more
> magnesium than the rest of the can.

Nope, the pressure from the carbon dioxide pushes equally against all sides of
the can. If anything the pressure at the top is slightly lower than at the
bottom, at least if the can is standing, because of the weight of the coke
pushing against the bottom.

~~~
jonah
The pressure difference is trivial. The reason it has to be thicker is because
the top is flatter than the sides (convex) and bottom (concave). If the top
was domed up it could be thinner. Have you ever seen an overheated or frozen
can? The top is usually bulging while the rest is still intact.

~~~
electromagnetic
Actually most frozen cans have the bottom inverted, but I've only noticed this
happen since about 2010. It used to be that a fully frozen can always used to
blow.

------
neya
I'm surprised that the author hasn't mentioned the use of toxins
(pesticides)[1], to the extent that it is even being used as a real pesticide
in various parts of India.

I know some may find this offensive, but sorry, I think I have a moral
responsibility myself to let the people around me know of the harms caused by
this carcinogen[1].

Cheers.

[1][http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-
Cola#Pesticid...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-
Cola#Pesticide_use)

~~~
kbenson
To clarify, that linked article states that Coke and Pepsi products produced
in India tested extremely high in some chemicals used as pesticides (e.g.
DDT), not that all coke products contain high levels of them and they happen
to be used as pesticides in India. I found the parent's meaning ambiguous in
this respect.

------
JacobAldridge
Actually, the Pinjarra process creates Aluminium. The process of shipping it
to Long Beach CA converts it into aluminum.

~~~
vegggdor
Had to read that twice to catch it

------
vesche
> ... the inside of the can is painted too — with a complex chemical called a
> comestible polymeric coating that prevents any of the aluminum getting into
> the soda.

I though this was very interesting, so I did a little digging... There is
remarkably little information on these 'comestible polymeric coatings', but I
was able to find (see below) a reason as to why that is. Apparently these
coatings are propriety to the manufacturer and there are competing companies
who are constantly in a race to find the best coating.

It's supremely interesting the fact that drinking a can of coke is almost a
magic trick right in front of your eyes. It'd be like someone holding a
lighter straight to a piece of paper and everyone being baffled as to why it
isn't lighting on fire. Yet when someone drinks a coke no one bats an eye as
to how it isn't mixing with the metal salts and eating straight through the
aluminum can.

"Interior can coatings designed to prevent migration of metal salts into the
contained product are called "comestible polymeric coatings". The coatings ars
polymers typically used in coil coating. The exact nature of the coatings
isn't available since most are proprietary to manufacturers who continuously
look for better coatings."

source: [http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=258261](http://www.eng-
tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=258261)

------
azatris
Related articles:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3633389](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3633389)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2221586](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2221586)

------
InclinedPlane
This is good, although I think it reaches just a little too far when it says
that the number of nations that could produce a can of coke is zero. If the US
so desired it could grow coca leaves, and kola nuts, and use locally produced
aluminum, etc.

------
makmanalp
My favourite version of this is a picture of a boeing 787 and where all the
parts are manufactured:
[http://seattletimes.com/art/news/business/boeing/787/partsen...](http://seattletimes.com/art/news/business/boeing/787/partsengineering.gif)

Of course if you could break it down further into smaller parts and tools to
manufacture those parts, you'd get an even greater variety of countries and
companies.

The center where I work actually does work slightly related to this,
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JC24CBVsdo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JC24CBVsdo)

------
gburt
I am reminded of I, Pencil. [1]

[1]
[http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/rdPncl1.html](http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/rdPncl1.html)

------
jeffbarr
This is my favorite sentence of the article:

> Modern tool chains are so long and complex that they bind us into one people
> and one planet.

When we think about colonizing the Moon or Mars with small groups of people
with the intention of making the colonies self-sustaining over time, deep,
long-evolved tool chains like the one described in the article could be very
difficult to scale down and to replicate in other environments.

~~~
pm90
Not necessarily. The only reason why this toolchain is global is that the
bauxite is cheapest in Australia. If you mined bauxite in US, you would have a
very local operation. In the case of Moon or Mars, I'm sure they would find it
much easier to mine on the planets surface (especially since it doesn't harm
the earth's environment that way).

------
raverbashing
"The top of the can is then added. This is carefully engineered: it is made
from aluminum, but it has to be thicker and stronger to withstand the pressure
of the carbon dioxide gas, and so it uses an alloy with more magnesium than
the rest of the can"

Yes, but the pressure is the same on all parts of the can. Ok, almost the
same, still.

Maybe because of the parts that have been cut to make it easy to open?

~~~
TylerE
The top is (basically) flat.

The sides and bottom are curved.

------
NotOscarWilde
Speaking as somebody who's never even smoked a cigarette or a joint: are there
people who tried to recreate the "original" coke recipe? The one with
"unprocessed" coca leaves? Is it available on say the latest instance of Silk
Road? What is it like?

~~~
justincormack
The book on the history of coke says that when cocaine was removed old timers
would stir some in. However it has no real effect, as ingesting cocaine is not
particularly effective except in the presence of alcohol. (The original French
recipe that Coke was borrowed form had red wine in).

~~~
thenmar
Very interesting, considering the existence of this:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo)
which sounds a little weird but actually tastes pretty good.

------
AlyssaRowan
Not that I want to waste any time on a HPLC-MS machine on this, but I was
distinctly under the impression Coca-Cola 7X does _not_ actually contain kola
nut?

I've had Red Bull Cola, and actually found it quite different, but delicious.
No accounting for taste, though.

------
lpolovets
There's a book with a similar theme about Twinkies. It's called "Twinkie,
Deconstructed"
([http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OZ0NZS](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OZ0NZS))

------
argumentum
A brilliant paean to the free market and the invisible hand. Milton Friedman
once described the manufacture of a humble pencil in this way.

(edit: just saw a link to an essay entitled "I, Pencil" at the bottom .. this
might have pre-dated Friedman).

------
Tloewald
This article reminds me strongly of a pivotal passage in the novel _Gain_ , by
Richard Powers (which I can't recommend highly enough, although it's a
downer). In that passage he describes how a disposable film camera is made.

------
exacube
How can 0 people know what's in Coke while still getitng it FDA approved?
Surely this can't be true.. How does the company know how to make a can of
coke if they don't know how it's put together?

~~~
div
The article doesn't claim 0 people know what's in Coke. It claims 0 people
know how to make a can of Coke, from start to finish, i.e. from mining your
own raw materials to make aluminium to extracting the cocaine from the coca
leaves to a finished can that can be put on a store shelve.

------
TazeTSchnitzel
> The number of individual nations that could produce a can of Coke is zero.

While this is true in that no individual nation could produce Coke with the
exact same formula, an individual nation could surely produce a soft drink.

~~~
hencq
But not too many of those countries also have bauxite mines, coca plants and
kola nuts.

~~~
saalweachter
Ehhh.

The globalization is more about economics and cost minimization than
_capability_. The Australian bauxite mines are the richest and cheapest mines
to operate, which makes other sources of aluminum not worth exploiting, but
aluminum is still the third most common element on Earth. The plant
ingredients could presumably be grown -- albeit far more expensively and
perhaps not in large enough quality for full-scale production -- in
greenhouses or under grow lights anywhere.

So it's not so much that many nations _couldn 't_ produce a can of Coke by
themselves as it doesn't make _economic sense_ for them to produce a can of
Coke by themselves when the raw ingredients can be had much more cheaply as an
import.

------
Istof
"[...] and the edges of the can are folded over it and welded shut."

I never thought there was any weld in a soda can... (and I still don't think
there is any)

~~~
ShaneOG
It's true. There are some more in-depth details (with graphics and PDFs) here:
[http://www.canmakers.co.uk/education](http://www.canmakers.co.uk/education)

~~~
Istof
It doesn't talk about welding....

"13.An interlocking seam is formed at high speed. Up to 2000 cans go through
the process each minute."

[http://www.canmakers.co.uk/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2011...](http://www.canmakers.co.uk/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2011/05/v2-How-cans-are-filled.pdf)

Also tried a site-wide search:
[https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.canmakers.co.uk+w...](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.canmakers.co.uk+weld)

------
cbhl
Article title should probably contain (2013).

~~~
dang
Thanks, we missed that one.

------
justintocci
i wonder what the failure rate on the interior coating is? How often are
people ingesting disolved aluminum?

~~~
dspeyer
If the soda started dissolving the aluminum, I doubt it would stop until it
had dissolved a hole straight through the can.

------
swartkrans
Is the ammonia dangerous? Or can it be? How much ammonia can a person consume
before it becomes dangerous?

~~~
montecarl
Ammonia is a gas at standard temperature and pressure. Unless they are
intentionally pumping ammonia gas into the final product there should only be
trace amounts. Furthermore it isn't poisonous in small quantities, we have an
enzyme that breaks it down.[1]

1:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbamoyl_phosphate_synthetase](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbamoyl_phosphate_synthetase)

------
alecco
To keep you drinking they add plenty of sodium (50mg+) masked with sugar,
HFCS, or sweeteners. They also add caffeine as a diuretic to keep consumers
drinking, too. And then they market it to children, lovely people.

Check out Dr. Robert Lustig videos. Also, the book Salt, Sugar, Fat, about
food industry engineering.

~~~
maxerickson
The amount of caffeine in soda doesn't cause any dehydration. Here's an
article talking about coffee (which has more caffeine per unit volume than
soda):

[http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee...](http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee-
myth-busting-cup-of-joe-may-help-hydration-and-memory)

------
yarou
He forgot to mention the Colombian paramilitaries that break up Coke bottling
plant unions by kidnapping their children. Funny how "globalization" is
presented in a saran-wrapped, sanitized version.

------
Smachine
Think of all of the jobs the making of Coke provides. Oh here we go......lol

------
WiggleYourIndex
Clean water tastes better.

------
joshfraser
1 can of coke contains 160% of your recommended daily intake of sugar. But you
won't see that on the label because money.

~~~
ashmud
(This is probably pedantic.) USDA recommendation: "It is suggested that the
maximal intake of added sugars be limited to providing no more than 25 percent
of energy." (src:
[http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Tables/macronutrients.p...](http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Tables/macronutrients.pdf))
For 2000 kcal, that would be 32.5g. Reads slightly different as a maximal
intake rather than a RDA.

~~~
joshfraser
The World Health Organization recently halved their recommended sugar intake
for adults, from the original 10 percent of total daily calories to 5 percent.
For a normal weight adult, that's about 25 grams. A can of coke in the US
contains 40g of sugar. Our food labels show daily recommended amounts for
everything except sugar. Why? Because putting 160% on the can would be bad for
Coca Cola. Too often the USDA protects and defends big business instead of the
people. Note the amount of money spent on lobbyists and the revolving door
that exists between the USDA and lobbying firms:
[https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/search_result.php?agen...](https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/search_result.php?agency=Dept+of+Agriculture&id=EAAGR)

