Today, everyone already knows that the most famous drink in the world – Coca-Cola was invented by D. Pemperton as a cure for diseases of the nervous system. The original composition of the drink consisted of the leaves of the coca bush and the fruits of the kola nut.
It is also a well-known fact that it was the marketing department of Coca-Cola who created the modern Santa Claus. It took the company’s advertisers more than 80 years to make red-robed Santa become an integral attribute of the Christmas holidays.
Unknown facts about Coca-Cola
When buying another bottle of our favorite drink, we most often do not think about the fact that our choice has actually been made for us a long time ago. The company is constantly striving to increase sales and increase its profits. Extensive promotions and the unprincipled imposition of cola on the buyer leads to the fact that, having entered the store, we are already unconsciously drawn to the coveted drink.
So, for example, during the campaign to introduce the drink to schools, the company’s employees set a goal for each child to drink at least 3 liters of cola per day. This led not only to obesity in children, but also to a decrease in the mental abilities of students.
There are a lot of similar facts unknown to the general public in the history of the company’s development. M. Blending spoke about them in his journalistic investigation. Having spent more than one year on his investigation, the journalist collected all the hard facts in one book.
Coca Cola. The Dirty Truth tells the world about the history of the company, from 1885 to the present day. Here are just a few facts from this already best-selling book:
1 fact. Coca-Cola was not the only drink of its kind. Several companies started producing cola much earlier, but, unable to withstand the competition and pressure, left the market.
2 fact. Until 1906, the drink did indeed contain coca leaves, which are a strong drug. The drink was addictive.
3 fact. Distribution around the world along with the US military. While the US government was sowing democracy around the world by military means, the leadership of Coca-Cola convinced the leaders of the country that every soldier who opens a bottle of Coke remembers his homeland. As part of supporting patriotism and morale among the US military, the company promised that every US soldier would be able to buy a bottle of cola anywhere in the world. For the implementation of this program, the company received huge investments from the state and built its factories in Europe and Latin America. Very soon, the company’s market accounted for 70% of the world market.
4 fact. Before World War II, Germany was the main market for cola. And even Hitler’s policy did not force the company to leave this market. On the contrary, when sugar ran out in the country, Coca-Cola launched the production of a new drink at its factories there – Fanta. For its preparation, sugar was not required, but an extract from fruits was used.
5 fact. Fanta at the Coca-Cola factories in Germany was not made by ordinary workers. Free labor was found in concentration camps. This fact finally debunks the myth about the decency of the company’s management.
6 fact. And again about schools. Starting from the 90s, the company offered schools to conclude agreements with it for the supply of a drink to educational institutions. For signing the agreement, the school received an annual income of approximately $3 a year. At the same time, the school lost the right to purchase any other drinks. Thus, during the entire school day, the children had no alternative to quench their thirst.
7 fact. Also, to expand the market and increase sales, the company began to introduce its products into the cinema. Having entered into numerous contracts with film companies, Coca-Cola became part of such children’s films as Madagascar, Harry Potter, Scooby-Doo, etc. After that, the company’s sales skyrocketed.
8 fact. The Coca-Cola Company doesn’t care about consumer health at all. The final product that we buy in stores often does not meet any quality standards. This is due to the specific business model of the company. According to this model, there is a main plant of the company. This is where cola concentrate is made. Further, the concentrate goes to the plants – bottlers. It is there that the concentrate is diluted with water and bottled. Then the drink goes to the market. At the bottling stage, the quality of the final product depends only on the integrity of a particular plant – a bottler. There is no control here. Some plants dilute the concentrate with regular tap water. Of course, why bother and use high-quality and expensive water if the brand is already so popular that it sells well with tap water?
A little about water
What kind of water do we drink most often? That’s right, water from the central water supply, and this is true even if we buy branded bottled water. Almost all companies that produce such supposedly clean and healthy water take it straight from the tap. Water, of course, goes through a certain filtration, but at the same time it does not become healing at all. Every year, thousands of lawsuits against such manufacturers are considered in the courts of different countries. What is the production of water? Facts about life-giving moisture.
1 fact. The average cost of 1 liter of water in the store is 70 rubles. One liter of gasoline costs an average of 35 rubles. Gasoline is 2 times cheaper than bottled water!
2 fact. The well-known truth that you need to drink at least 2 liters of water a day is a lie. This “truth” was invented in the 90s to boost the growth of bottled water sales. Official medicine does not confirm that if you drink 8 glasses of water a day, you will increase your health and beauty. An excess of water, on the contrary, can undermine the work of the kidneys, which will invariably result in a disease of the urinary system. Only thanks to this myth, the growth in bottled water sales in the late 90s reached record levels for those years, and continues to grow every day.
3 fact. 80% of the necessary moisture the human body receives from food. So, for example, cucumbers contain 96% water, and tangerines – 88%. We also drink tea, coffee and eat soups, which, by the way, also consist of water. But advertisers do not take this water into account.
4 fact. When losing weight, excess water can provoke stagnation of fat. It really is. In order for fat to be oxidized and excreted, the body needs a moisture deficit, not an excess of it.
5 fact. Active growth in sales of bottled water in our country occurred just in the period of the appearance of plastic containers. The container was imported from abroad, and our craftsmen filled it with ordinary water. Why are you not a business?
6 fact. Before the advent of plastic bottles, all soft drinks in our country were sold in glass containers. Plastic bottles have become a real surprise for our people and personified the freedom of the West for them.
7 fact. The technology for the production of plastic bottles belongs to the West, for this reason we have to pay for the right to produce these containers.
8 fact. Tap water is no more dangerous than bottled water. The myth of dirty tap water was also formed in the 90s, in order to increase sales of bottled water. So, for example, in some European countries, restaurants calmly serve tap water and it would never occur to anyone to be indignant about this.
9 fact. You can clean tap water at home. Of course, it cannot be said that our water pipes have crystal clear water. Often it really needs filtering. But the most interesting thing is that any home-use filters are suitable for water purification. And this means that you do not need to pay unimaginable amounts and buy bottled water, you can have the same clean water by spending money on a regular filter.
10 fact. Producers of bottled water buy raw materials only from the water utility. And not some special one, but the most ordinary one at a price of 28,5 rubles. For 1000 l. And they sell for 35-70 rubles. For 1 litre.
11 fact. Today, 90% of bottled water on the market is tap water passed through a regular filter. In fact, we are buying outright lies that are invented in the advertising department of every company. A lot of money is spent on advertising, and it brings good results. We believe in these fairy tales and bring multi-billion dollar profits to water bottling companies.
12 fact. Bright labels are also a lie. The peaks of the mountains, springs and healing springs, drawn on the labels, have nothing to do with the products of the manufacturing companies. Look at the address of the company, most of them are not located in the snowy Alps, but in industrial zones somewhere in Tver or in the Moscow region.
13 fact. Pay attention to the label. The inscription “Centralized source of water supply” in small print indicates that the bottle contains ordinary filtered tap water.
14 fact. Analysis of the quality of tap water is carried out 3 times a day. The same analysis of bottled water is carried out once every 1 years.
15 fact. Today, advertisers and nutritionists no longer talk about the notorious 2 liters of water per day. According to them, a modern person needs at least 3 liters of life-giving moisture to maintain beauty and health.