Lots of people love Coca-Cola, but few people know much about the company. In fact, few people know what they are actually drinking. It seems to be some nice-tasting black, fizzy soda with high levels of sugar, caffeine, and sodium. The secret formula of Coca-Cola is actually hidden behind a huge secret vault in the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, Georgia, which sounds a bit like a cartoon.
But beyond the marketing, Coca-Cola ranks as a company worth over $300 billion. This company owns other major drink brands such as Minute Maid, Dasani Water, and Powerade. Interestingly enough, nobody seems to out-rank Coca-Cola drinks except for its rival, Pepsi. Nonetheless, this monopoly-like power of a company falls under an interesting phenomenon called the “illusion of choice.”
Illusion of Choice
Many of the world's major companies have bred the idea that you have many brands to choose from, though the reality is that most of everything is controlled by a few major brands. The “illusion of choice” describes how a massive array of consumer brands are actually owned by just a small handful of giant parent companies. Here is a visual depiction.
It might be nice to choose whether you want to go to Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills, FreshCo, Food Basics, Loblaws, T&T Supermarket, Metro, or Sobeys. However, three companies Loblaws, Sobeys and Metro own around 88.6% of Canada's traditional supermarket share. When you add Costco and Walmart, you get the “Big Five” giants, which own 76% of the country's food retail market.
This puts the other 6,900 independent grocery stores at a severe disadvantage. They face significant structural disadvantages, and the system is heavily rigged against them.
Coca-Cola: A Prime Example of What This Power Can Do
It is well known that soda isn't good for your health. However, such information wouldn't be good to know when you are trying to sell it to make money. Hence, Coca-Cola has its ways of lobbying and advertising its way out of the health crisis it created. Coca-Cola owns 46% of the soft drink market, followed by Pepsi at 25.6% and Dr Pepper at 21%. Research has consistently shown regular consumption of soft drinks to be associated with Type 2 diabetes and to disproportionately impact lower-income and poorer communities. With just the right amount of sugar and caffeine to encourage addiction, Coca-Cola really changed the global platform.
The truth is, you cannot get a one-to-one healthy replacement for soda, but you can get a close alternative that works for those who don't wish to take their health for granted.
Olipop
Here is Olipop, a replacement that has significantly less sugar and significantly more added fibre, with fewer calories. It comes in at 40 calories and 3 grams of sugar, while also supporting digestive health through prebiotics, botanicals, and plant fibre. Here is something you can purchase at your local Healthy Planet and feel better about drinking.
Ultimately, Coca-Cola is more than just a soda; it is an example of how a handful of powerful companies can shape the choices we think we have. The more we understand what is behind the brands we buy, the more informed and powerful we become as consumers.