This is why Coca-Cola and Fanta taste different abroad
Have you ever opened a can of Coca-Cola or Fanta on holiday and thought: Hmm, this tastes different from back home? You’re not the only one. Whether it’s sweeter, less fizzy or even a different colour: soft drinks can sometimes taste noticeably different abroad. So how exactly does that work?
In Europe, Coca-Cola is often produced locally. Yet The Coca-Cola Company uses the same basic ingredients everywhere and follows the same production process worldwide. So how can your favourite drink still taste different?
External factors
According to Coca-Cola, external factors play a major role. Think, for example, about the temperature at which you drink it. An ice-cold can on the beach tastes different from one at room temperature at home. But what you eat with it also matters. Combinations with local food can influence the taste. Storage conditions can make a difference too. The way soft drinks are stored, such as in a refrigerated or unrefrigerated space, can affect the flavour. In addition, the way we experience soft drinks differs from person to person.
Adapted to local preferences
With Fanta, the story is slightly different. Its flavour and composition are adapted to the preferences of consumers in the country concerned. Take Fanta in Spain, for example: it has a deeper orange colour and tastes much sweeter than the version we know in the Netherlands. This is not only a matter of taste, but also of regulations: what is permitted in one country may sometimes not be allowed in another.
Dutch Fanta
While Coca-Cola remains faithful to a universal recipe, Fanta takes regional tastes and legal requirements into account. And did you know that The Coca-Cola Company regularly conducts research to check whether people still enjoy the flavour? Research shows that the current Dutch Fanta is a perfect match for our preferences.
So whether you open a can in the Netherlands, Spain or elsewhere: know that the process behind your soft drink is carefully tailored to taste, regulations and surroundings. And let’s be honest: a little variation makes drinking a soft drink abroad even more fun, doesn’t it?
Also read:
- Penny-pinchers, take note: thanks to this bizarre trick, you’ll pay very little for bottles of soft drinks and water in Belgium
- Sugar tax on light and zero soft drinks: why?
- 10 Coca-Cola flavours that have (sadly) disappeared from the shelves
Source: Radar
