Frequently Asked Questions

No, this is an urban myth. It’s true that putting Mentos into a bottle of COCA-COLA® will cause an impressive fountain of soda to erupt from the bottle. In fact, carbonated water, sparkling wine and other soft drinks will have similar effects. However, you won’t get the same effect from eating Mentos after drinking COCA-COLA®. The eruption you get when you mix Mentos and COCA-COLA® is caused by the rough coating of the candy, which results in lots of bubbles forming rapidly on the surface when it’s placed in a carbonated beverage. But the coating begins to dissolve the moment you eat it. So you won’t get the same reaction in your stomach. 

No, COCA-COLA® won’t dissolve meat overnight – though it can be used to make a delicious marinade. The flavor of the COCA-COLA® in a marinade adds to the taste of the meat, and the sugar helps the meat to brown when grilled. There are plenty of recipes forCOCA-COLA® marinades available online.

It can, and you get a similar effect if you use other acidic foods and drinks, like lemon juice. But these are not very good choices for cleaning. COCA-COLA® contains phosphoric acid, a safe food ingredient used in some of our beverages which can help clean off dirt. However, because COCA-COLA® is a beverage, not a cleaning agent, it isn’t effective at killing germs, and there are lots of products that are much better at cleaning. 

No, there’s never been any cocaine added in COCA-COLA® and there never will be.

People have been enjoying our beverages for 131 years because they love the taste.  COCA-COLA® contains sugar and caffeine. While sugar is fine in moderation, too much of it isn't good for anyone. Like all food and beverages, soft drinks with sugar can be consumed as part of a balanced lifestyle as long as people don’t consume them to excess.

It’s important to us to make sure that consumers have a choice to help them manage their sugar and calorie intake. That is why we offer a variety of great-tasting beverages with reduced, low or no sugar and calories. That’s also why many of our beverages come in small pack sizes.  

We also provide information on how much sugar and how many calories are in our beverages, so people can choose what makes sense for them and their families.

Yes. COCA-COLA® slowly thickens when boiled as a result of the water in the drink evaporating.  Once most of the water is gone, the sugar begins to burn. You’ll get a similar effect if you boil orange juice or any sugary liquid for long enough.  

No. Before COCA-COLA® was invented, Santa Claus (St Nick) had appeared in numerous illustrations and books wearing a scarlet coat. He was portrayed a variety of ways. He could be tall and gaunt or short and elfin, sometimes distinguished and intellectual, other times rather frightening.

Did you know? It is true that COCA-COLA® advertising from the 1930s onwards played a big role in shaping the big, jolly Santa character we know and love today.

Watch our video about the legend of COCA-COLA® and Santa Claus

https://youtu.be/U8J5AolQZg0

COCA-COLA® can help clean rust or corrosion, because it contains phosphoric acid, an edible food acid found in lots of foods and drinks. Any acidic drink like orange juice, lemon juice and champagne has the same effect as COCA-COLA® on metal. We actually recommend enjoying COCA-COLA® for its great taste!

As much as we love COCA-COLA®, we really wouldn't recommend using it in this way. There is no sun protection factor in it at all - it's a drink! 

Fact

The COCA-COLA® Company has learned of emails in circulation and postings on Internet Websites that falsely offer jobs to individuals.

In some cases, the perpetrators have contacted the victims and falsely claimed to hire them in order to obtain additional personal and financial information and in some cases have asked them to cash fraudulent checks and send them money.

The COCA-COLA® Company is in no way associated with such listings. The jobs listed on the sites or in the emails are not real, we are not a sponsor, and our name and trademarks are used here without permission. 

This appears to be a form of fraud known as "phishing", wherein perpetrators attempt to develop relationships with victims in order to obtain personal and financial information. Common signs that a message may be a part of an email scam or phishing campaign include:

Spelling and grammatical errors in the email;

Improper use of company trademarks;

Sender's use of free, non-corporate email accounts (such as Yahoo!, AOL, Gmail and Hotmail);

Requests for personal information and the promise of quick financial gain.

Overall, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Do not reply to these emails or letters with any information. If you have already provided any personal information to any contacts associated with this type of email, letter or website, we recommend that you immediately discontinue all communications with the source and contact your local and/or federal authorities for advice on how to proceed to protect your personal information and privacy.

Fact

The COCA-COLA® Company has learned of several text messages, emails and letters being sent to people that falsely claim the recipient has either won a sweepstake or a cash prize from our Company.

The text messages direct the recipients to a Website that appears to be, but is not, an official site of The COCA-COLA® Company. The official My Coke Rewards address is mycokerewards.com, and My Coke Rewards is a program offered only in the United States.

Subject lines for the emails have ranged from "You Have Won $1million In The COCA-COLA®™ 128th Anniversary Promo" to "The COCA-COLA® Award Notification" to "The COCA-COLA® Promo Winning Notification" to "The COCA-COLA® Worldwide Christmas Promo", "Notification for COCA-COLA® Foundation Cash Aid", or other similar titles. Some versions of the text/email hoax indicate a joint promotion with the British American Tobacco Company, an annual mid-year COCA-COLA® promotional draw (which includes the name of former COCA-COLA® executive vice president, Carl Ware), or a car giveaway in Hong Kong. The messages also include formal language that makes them look "official", and are sometimes designed to look legitimate by including images or photographs, a "secret pin code" or reference/ticket number and contact information for a COCA-COLA® representative.

The letters are written to look official and may appear to come from a financial institution. They often contain a claim number and may even include a check that appears to be from our Company or another COCA-COLA® bottler.

View samples of these hoaxes we have identified below. NOTE - This sample list does not include all COCA-COLA® hoaxes in circulation. Other hoaxes may exist and may not be included here.

The COCA-COLA® Company is in no way associated with these emails, text messages, letters, unauthorized websites or programs. We are not a sponsor and our name and trademarks are used here without permission.

SAMPLE 1:

Subject: You Have Won $1million in The COCA-COLA® 128th Anniversary Promo

Dear Consumer,

Congratulations!

Your email was randomly picked by aCOCA-COLA®™ powered email newsletter software operated by legally registered United States freelance tech experts to receive a COCA-COLA™ rewards prize of $1million in the ongoing COCA-COLA™ 128th anniversary celebrations email promo. 

For claims, please submit Name, Age, Phone, & Address.

Signed,

Clyde C. Tuggle.

Chief Public Affairs Officer and Communications Officer

SAMPLE 2:

Subject: THE COCA COLA™ COMPANY OFFICIAL PRIZE NOTIFICATION

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the just concluded annual final draws held on the (18th May, 2006) by COCA-COLA® in conjunction with the British American Tobacco Worldwide Promotion, your email was among the 20 Lucky winners who won £1,000,000.00 each on the THE COCA\' COLA™ COMPANY PROMOTION However the results were released on the 20th May, 2006 and your email was attached to ticket number (7PWYZ2006) and ballot number (BT:12052006/20) The online draws was conducted by a random selection of email addresses from an exclusive list of 29,031 E-mail addresses of individuals and corporate bodies picked by an advanced automated random computer search from the internet. However, no tickets were sold but all email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy…

SAMPLE 3:

Subject: NOTIFICATION OF THE ANNUAL MID-YEAR COCA-COLA® PROMOTIONAL DRAW

This is to notify you on the 2006 annual mid-year COCA-COLA® promo result which holds in this depot yearly. The 2006 edition was shifted from its usual presentation month of July to August because of the upgrades in our systems which occured during the month of July.

Every Mid-Year, the COCA-COLA® company depot (Surulele Zone) holds this promo from our additional profit, and is assuredly aimed towards affecting

lifes and as a means of arm to the needy. The annual mid-year philantropic gesture is ten (10) years old in Nigeria, and as a result, the COCA-COLA® depot has decided to shift its presentations above the shores of Nigeria till 2012. The 2006 draw was done today the 28th of August 2006 at 8:15am (Nigerian Time).

Electronically, email addresses were gathered from all over the continents of AFRICA (Nigeria Exemptional), ASIA, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA, AMERICA, NORTH AMERICA, & SOUTH AMERICA. Joan a little girl of 5 yrs old was to pick one email from the wholesome of the email addresses in the box in a random mode, and ticket Reference number *44neh19xxfcoca5ecc* which had this email address was selected by Joan.

We proudly present you therefore as the winner of the 2006 edition of the COCA-COLA® mid-year philantropic promo award of 5.2 million United States Dollars only (US$ 5.2m). To inform you that your US$ 5.2m award has for long been deposited into the leading bank here in Nigeria, (Zenith Bank Plc) and was deposited on the 15th day of February 2006 therefore is 100% secured and safe until it is transferred to you....

SAMPLE 4:

Subject: AWARD NOTIFICATION

This is to inform you that have been selected for a cash prize of £2,600,000.00 (Two Million, Six Hundred Thousand Great British Pounds) International programs held on the 26th of September 2005 in the London Uk.

The selection process was carried out through random selection in our computerized email selection system(ess) from a database of over 500,000 email addresses drawn from all the continents of the world.

The COCA-COLA® Company Lottery is approved by the British Gaming Board and also Licensed by the The International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR). This promotional lottery is the 2nd of its kind and we intend to sensitize the public.

To begin the processing of your prize you are to contact your claims officer through our accredited Prize Transfer agents as stated below...

We cannot comment on the authenticity of video, but we’d like to clarify that all our beverages including FANTA® Orange are safe and comply with all the applicable food safety regulations of Government of India’s National Food Safety Authority – FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India).

What one see in the video is nothing unusual. The color from any liquid containing color will get picked up when one dips material that is porous such as a cloth or filter paper through a process called the capillary action.

FANTA® Orange contains synthetic food color, declared on every pack but well within the allowed limit, the colour used is thoroughly tested and recognized as safe by credible Indian and Global food safety authorities including FAO/WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Health Canada, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

Food colors including synthetic food color is added in food products like FANTA® Orange to give it a distinctive appearance and a visual appeal which consumers know and love. They are commonly used in various packaged foods safely consumed in India over several years like Jams, Jellies, Ready to serve fruit beverages, Dairy beverages etc.

FANTA® is an extremely loved brand and consumed by millions across the world and also in India. We know that high quality, safety and great taste, have been the corner stone of our success for more than 130 years globally including more than 20 years in India and we intend to keep it that way, for all times to come. Videos such as this which lack credibility, adversely impact our brand reputation.