Coca-Cola CEO: Americans are 'confused' (Translation: They're not buying enough of our sh*t)

[marmar]

Posted by Michele Simon at 12:03 am
March 6, 2010

Coca-Cola sees (profit) health in India, China while Americans remain “confused”


I always say you have to follow the business news to understand what’s really going on with corporations; it’s the one place they tell the truth. In this revealing interview with Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, Bloomberg explains how the soft drink giant, “has relied on overseas markets to offset at least four years of declining soft-drink volume sales in the U.S.” Sound familiar? It should, as it’s the exact same strategy as the tobacco and alcohol industries: once sales in the U.S. are saturated, the only place to go is overseas, and the developing world is the last available opportunity for growth.

The article describes Coke’s CEO as saying that “emerging-market economies such as China and India are beginning to bounce back quickly, while more developed regions will take longer to recover.” Even more chillingly, Kent is directed quoted: “The emerging world is in a healthier situation as we are exiting the tunnel.” Of course, he means the tunnel of the recession, but never mind how the health of the “emerging world” is being increasingly threatened thanks to the invasion of U.S.-style fast food, soda, and other non-native foodstuffs, as this 2007 article on childhood obesity in China explains.

As for the lagging economy in the U.S. and other western nations, Coke’s chief says that “the consumer is still confused.” Yes, we are so confused that we’ve cut back on drinking sugar water full of chemicals, how very inconvenient for Corporate America. But there’s always other nations to exploit.


http://blogs.alternet.org/appetiteforprofit/2010/03/06/coca-cola-sees-profit-health-in-india-china-while-americans-remain-confused/

[BlueJazz]

1. I've always admired Coke for the way it strips Enamel off the teeth.

But of course, I'm just a confused American.
At least now the Fast Food and Corn-syrup drinks will find many happy consumers in India and China.
......and they can become a fat society like us. :)

[Lost4words]

2. it is also great for removing auto battery acid from the terminals!

true, an old mechanic taught me this little Coke Cola use.

[geckosfeet]

5. Phosphoric acid is good stuff.

[geckosfeet]

6. dupe - self delete

[Cirque du So-What]

7. You've just summoned demons from hell with your statement

In fact, I'm surprised they haven't arrived already to ridicule everyone who expresses a desire to eat & drink healthier. It makes me wonder, how much DOES the processed-food lobby pay these nimrods to spam message boards with that stuff? There must be a powerful incentive, judging from how swiftly they arrive, the quantity of their sarcastic remarks, and the time they invest in trying to convince people that nothing is EVER wrong with adding more chemicals or subjecting our food to even more processing.

[conscious evolution]

8. +1

[L0oniX]

21. They need to put the cocaine back in Coke.

[Echo In Light]

3. Double plus un-good, that

k/r

[geckosfeet]

4. The medical community has been confusing us with facts about diabetes and obesity. Damn them.

[Kalyke]

9. I'd drink it if it WAS sugar water, but it's not. It's high fructose corn syrup water.

Although, I still wouldn't drink it a lot, but I'd at least feel more comfortable having a couple or three a week.

[RedCappedBandit]

13. i don't drink soda, but I tried pepsi throwback..

it's made with "sugar" instead of hfcs


It actually tasted good.


Still garbage though.

[handmade34]

10. actual recipe "top-secret"

for $1.89 a bottle, generally:
carbonated water
high fructose corn syrup
colour (caramel 150d)
food acid (phosphoric acid 338)
"flavour"
caffeine

I'm not confused! will never touch the stuff

[smoogatz]

11. I actually really like Coca Cola

but like other posters have mentioned, wish they'd go back to using sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. HFCS is nasty, nasty shit--people don't metabolize it the same way they do sucrose, apparently. If you want to know why low-income and minority Americans are experiencing a flat-out epidemic of type II diabetes right now, you need look no further than the ubiquity of HFCS in sodas/soft drinks and processed foods.

[reggie the dog]

12. where are you seeing this corn syrup stuff????

I have a bottle of coca cola in my fridge now that I buy mainly for peopele who come over, it says it has water, sugar, carlel coloring, phosphoric acit, plant extracts (probably coca without the cocaine) and caffine? ny corn nothing..... is coca cola here in France different from coca cola sold in the USA?

[RedCappedBandit]

17. "is coca cola here in France different from coca cola sold in the USA?"

Wouldn't surprise me.

[TroglodyteScholar]

18. Yes, Coca Cola uses different formulas for different markets.

Some of them taste quite a bit different.

[smoogatz]

20. Mexican coke still uses sugar.

It tastes a lot better, too, unless you get a bottle with a mouse in it.

[Greyhound]

23. Yes it is. We allow this poison to be freely distributed, while the saner nations either

heavily restrict its use or ban it altogether.

[RedCappedBandit]

14. Empty useless calories that don't even quench my thirst

Nope, I'm not confused.

[1776Forever]

15. With the CEO of Pepsi India-born Indra K. Nooyi had that vision for years.

http://foodbizdaily.com/articles/94303-pepsico-india-set-up-renewable-energy-units-for-its.aspx

PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and has grown to become the country’s largest selling food and beverage company. One of the largest multinational investors in the country, PepsiCo has established a business which aims to serve the long term dynamic needs of consumers in India. The group has built an expansive beverage, snack food and exports business and to support the operations are the group’s 41 bottling plants in India, of which 13 are company owned and 28 are franchisee owned. In addition to this, PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay snack division has 3 state of the art plants. PepsiCo’s business is based on its sustainability vision of making tomorrow better than today. PepsiCo India’s commitment to living by this vision every day is visible in its contribution to the country, consumers, farmers and people.

[AllentownJake]

16. I like Coke

At least it taste good. I mean, as far as American Companies go...Goldman Sachs just makes my head hurt and destroys thing.

[Lothrop]

19. No Coke! Pepsi!

Cheezeborger!

Cheezeborger!

No fries! Cheeps!

No Coke! Pepsi!

[JBoy]

22. Classic projection.

They don't know why their US sales aren't going up, so they blame the customers.

[omega minimo]

24. Americans got educated about chemical additives and toxic corn syrup

:hi: