Don’t muddle the facts; Coca-Cola is a safe drink

I acknowledge with respect an article published in the Sunday Nation on July 8 titled, “Coca-Cola should not be economical with the truth”.

At the same time, I express concern about some of the unfounded statements made in the very article written by a well-known columnist in Kenya.

It is important for us to be clear about who Coca-Cola is, what we stand for as a company and ensure that the public is not misled by information that lacks fact.

In today’s growing and inter-connected global economy, demonising industry is really a waste of energy.

Instead, we should apply our energy in working together productively as partners in growth for the betterment of society.

We know that a number of Kenya’s recognisable firms first started as local companies the same way Coca-Cola did, and today they have successfully gone regional and are in the process of expanding their networks in different countries.

We are living in exponential times, where information is readily available for consumers to make informed choices about the brands they love.

It therefore becomes incumbent on all of us to be responsible about what is written and shared for public consumption.

It concerns us when a columnist purports that Coca-Cola has not informed consumers about the ingredients used in making the world’s most recognisable and valuable brand. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Coca-Cola was created in May 8, 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia by a pharmacist named Dr John S. Pemberton and first served at Jacobs’ Pharmacy.

Today, 126 years later, we are the world’s (and Kenya’s) leading non-alcoholic beverage company, marketing some 500 brands in 206 countries in which we operate.

Corporate citizens

We are ranked 6th on Fortune magazine’s list of the world’s Most Admired Companies, and have been voted for favourably in Corporate Responsibility magazine’s ranking of the top 100 Best Corporate Citizens in the world.

Coming to the truth of the matter of what ingredients are in Coca-Cola, anyone who consumes our brands knows that our ingredients are labelled on the crown (bottle top) or on the front of the package in the case of PET bottles.

Brand Coca-Cola is made out of approved ingredients and has no preservatives added to it. There is ample information in the public domain — on our global website (www.thecoca-colacompany.com).

We also have an online tool for sharing the facts and dispelling the myths about our beverages on www.LetsClearItUp.org.

This is an industry website where media, lawmakers, opinion leaders and others can find factual information about our beverages.

Regulatory bodies