Comments on: Passover, Coke, and Ethanol

By: cpurick

cpurick — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:29:50 +0000

The whole "New Coke" fiasco is held by conspiracy theorists to have all been cover for switching from sugar to HFCS. People, it is argued, would be able to tell the difference between sugar and HFCS, but not if they were distracted by something that didn't taste like Coka at all.

My brother-in-law, who lives in a NYC suburb, used to send me 2-liter bottles of Kosher-for-Passover Coke. It had a yellow cap with an uppercase "U" inside a circle or an "O". We would do "taste tests" at the office, debating the New Coke theory. Most people could tell the difference.

Over the years, I've become acclimated to the HFCS version, and I'm not even sure sugared Coke is even better anymore -- to me, it's just different now.

By: David Damore

David Damore — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:01:22 +0000

In a related story…
"Cargill rolling out natural, no-calorie sweetener"
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0930999220080709

"Coca-Cola Co co-developed the product with Cargill and has exclusive rights to use Truvia in beverages."

Later this year there will be a new sweetener from Cargill. This indicates that Coca-Cola is looking to have multiple sources [in both natural and artificial sweeteners] to purchase from.
Will keep and eye out for the exact information you requested.
Best.

By: pinus

pinus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:51:35 +0000

Coke in Europe is sweetened with sugar, not corn syrup. And you don't need to be an aficionado to note the difference. I would be willing to pay up for sugar-sweetened Coke in the States.

By: Fran Smith

Fran Smith — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:33:09 +0000

The high price of sugar in the U.S. — usually twice the world price — results not just from high tariffs, but by domestic price supports and restrictions on domestic supply.

By: MC

MC — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:12:05 +0000

The main issue, economics aside, is taste. Coke C2, now discontinued, had _four_ sweeteners: HFCS, AceK, sucralose, and I think saccharine. Regardless, to my nostalgic taste, it tasted most faithful to the Coke I remember of 30-40 years ago. And it was half the calories of 'full coke'.

The biggest issue with plastic bottles is their permeability to the outgassing of CO2 (they go flat, whereas Al and glass are airtight).

By: macquechoux

macquechoux — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:49:03 +0000

“I don't understand why the government doesn't do the sensible thing and ban all sugar and corn syrup from all soda's. Our national health care costs are already sky high and the government can barely afford to provide it as it is.”

Spoken like a true food Nazi and card carrying member of the Nanny Nation. Could the fact that sugar is not an additive, but rather that it is a food, have something to do with it? Or perhaps that sugar does not cause hyper tension, cancer, diabetes, and naturally occurs in any fruit or vegetable that has a sweet taste? If you don’t like sugar fine with me; go suck a persimmon far as I care. But please don’t try to cram your beliefs down my throat, Okay? Besides, mama always said, “Educated people don’t argue about matters of taste.”

By: DRDR

DRDR — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:29:04 +0000

Some more links on the sugar lobby: http://www.fff.org/freedom/0498d.asp
http://benmuse.typepad.com/ben_muse/sugar_big/index.html
I can't believe our tax dollars ever funded "Operation Bittersweet" — truly high comedy.

By: DRDR

DRDR — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:15:10 +0000

"However I could be wrong, and of course quotas and tariffs have the same effect." — Not if there's imperfect competition. Then for quotas and tariffs that lead to the same import restrictions, the quota results in a higher price and lower domestic output relative to the tariff. See C3 of the Helpman-Krugman 1989 book.

By: jpm

jpm — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:08:34 +0000

I don't understand why the government doesn't do the sensible thing and ban all sugar and corn syrup from all soda's. Our national health care costs are already sky high and the government can barely afford to provide it as it is.

By: James Hanley

James Hanley — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:21:02 +0000

I want to re-emphasize what dtt said. Russ had an incomplete list of beneficiaries of sugar tariffs. ADM, despite producing no sugar, lobbies vigorously for the tariffs, to ensure that corn syrup remained artificially competitive in price.

And I think it is technically tariffs, rather than quotas, on sugar. However I could be wrong, and of course quotas and tariffs have the same effect.

By: Gil

Gil — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:59:05 +0000

Don't forget about the virtues of Aspartame-sweetened drinks.

By: dtt

dtt — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:10:00 +0000

I doubt that Coke will make the switch back to sugar. ADM is careful enough to make sure the sugar subsidies keep sugar artificially high enough that corn syrup is still the cheapest alternative for all the soda makers. It is not just the wealthy farmers that benefit from poor policy, but also Archer-Daniels-Midland. Ironically they also benefit from the obscene ethanol policy.

By: The Dirty Mac

The Dirty Mac — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:53:54 +0000

"wealthy sugar beet and sugar cane farmers"

They were not made wealthy solely by the Bush tax cuts?

By: Fred

Fred — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:49:52 +0000

There are now ads touting the wonders of corn sweeteners that have the look and feel of 1950s ads featuring doctors promoting safe cigarettes.

I drink Jones Soda.

By: adina

adina — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:39:26 +0000

That is hilarious, because I always thought thought I was the only one with the crazy family that stockpiled Coke before Pesach, singing its praises all 8 days.
What concerns me is what kind of cheap sweetener they're going to use now that both corn and ethanol are overpriced....extra doses of saccharin? Yech.

By: Rolo Tomasi

Rolo Tomasi — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:08:08 +0000

Romanoff,

You just made my life appreciably better. Thanks for the info!

By: Art Woolf

Art Woolf — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:56:59 +0000

The last time I checked when I was up there, Coca Cola in Canada was still sweetened with sugar.

By: Art Woolf

Art Woolf — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:55:36 +0000

The last time I checked when I was up there, Coca Cola in Canada was still sweetened with sugar.

By: Nathan Benedict

Nathan Benedict — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:54:28 +0000

Ah, ethanol subsidies counteracting the effects of sugar tariffs. The system really does work!

By: Jacob

Jacob — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:48:18 +0000

Using cane sugar has been a way for higher end, smaller scale sodas to differentiate themselves, too. The Boylan's Cane Cola is a great example, and to my taste is much better than the current Coke. Jones Soda also made headlines last year by switching its line entirely to sugar.