Ask HN: What's actually in Coca Cola?

48 points

8 years ago

Given how pretty much everyone on the planet drinks Coca Cola, I am surprised that, given the enormous budgets that are spent on research and prevention of serious illnesses, there is no clear and honest (and formally acknowledged) list of the ingredients of Coca Cola.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_formula

If you want to release a medical drug, you need to document - at molecular level - how the drug is built up.

In the Netherlands, where I live, people go to expensive supermarkets to buy ecologically sourced meat and vegetables because of a so called chain of trust that no weird ingredients and antibiotics (if meat) have been added to their food.

Can someone from the HN community tell me:

1) Why is Coca Cola allowed to sell their beverages (e.g. by the FDA) when there are "secret ingredients"?

2) Have any proper studies been done on the health effects of Coca Cola consumption (not just sugary carbonated drinks)? Do we know how large populations are affected?

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