This article looks into one of the most frequently asked questions regarding beverages that are vegan friendly: Can vegans drink coke?
According to Coca-Cola’s FAQs and Product Facts pages, the vast majority of Coca-Cola drinks, including all its soft drinks, are considered vegan. Coca-Cola also notes that some of their drinks do contain small traces of fish gelatine (stabilizer for the beta-carotene color). Those drinks are: Lilt, Lilt Zero, Kia-Ora Orange Squash No Added Sugar and Schweppes Orange Squash.
Additionally, Joshua Cuellar wrote a blog post in 2012 where he provided an email response from Coca-Cola Support in which they stated, “Except the products that contain cochineal (which is listed on the label), and the products that contain milk (which is also indicated on the label), brands of The Coca-Cola Company in the United States do not contain any ingredient derived from animals.” They also go on to say, “some of our juice products contain Vitamin D3, which is derived from lanolin. Lanolin is a natural oil in the fiber of sheep’s wool. It is separated from the wool after the sheep’s hair is cut (sheared). Lanolin oil is obtainable without harming the sheep but may be an issue for strict vegetarians.” Finally they state, “some of our suppliers use a common industry practice for grape juice clarification that does involve animal by-products. The gelatin used to clarify the juice is made from bovine skin.”
In the following sections we look into the ingredients of each Coca-Cola soft drink and determine if each are vegan.
Coca-Cola
Original
The ingredients in Coca-Cola Original are as follows: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, and Caffeine.
Only the “Natural Flavors” ingredient would be of concern as they can come from both plant or animal sources, but according to an article by Leaf.tv the “natural flavors” in Coke are citric acid, herbs, cocaine, and sugar – all of which plant-based. Therefore, vegans can drink Coca-Cola Original
Cherry, Vanilla, Orange Vanilla, and Caffeine Free
The ingredients in Coca-Cola Cherry, Vanilla, Orange Vanilla, and Caffeine Free products are as follows: Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, and Caffeine (Excluded on Caffeine Free Coke).
Again, only the “Natural Flavors” ingredient would be of concern as they can come from both plant or animal sources, but according to Coca-Cola Product Facts they are all considered vegan. Therefore, vegans can drink Coca-Cola Cherry, Vanilla, Orange Vanilla, and Caffeine Free products.
Georgia Peach and California Raspberry
The ingredients in Coca-Cola Georgia Peach and California Raspberry products are as follows: Carbonated Water, Cane Sugar, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Natural Flavors, and Caffeine.
Again, only the “Natural Flavors” ingredient would be of concern as they can come from both plant or animal sources, but according to Coca-Cola Product Facts they are all considered vegan. Therefore, vegans can drink Coca-Cola Georgia Peach and California Raspberry products.
Diet Coke
All Flavors
The ingredients in all Diet Coke flavors are as follows: Carbonated Water, Caramel Color, Aspartame, Phosphoric Acid, Potassium Benzoate (To Protect Taste), Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Caffeine.
Only the “Natural Flavors” ingredient is of concern as they can come from both plant or animal sources, but according to Coca-Cola Product Facts they are all considered vegan. Therefore, vegans can drink all flavors of Diet Coke.
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
All Flavors
The ingredients in all Coca-Cola Zero Sugar flavors are as follows: Carbonated Water, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Aspartame, Potassium Benzoate, Natural Flavors, Potassium Citrate, Acesulfame Potassium, Caffeine.
One again, only the “Natural Flavors” ingredient would be of concern as they can come from both plant or animal sources, but according to Coca-Cola Product Facts they are all considered vegan. Therefore, vegans can drink all flavors of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
Summary
Overall, vegans can drink all varieties of Coca-Cola and Diet Coke because they contain no animal-based or animal-derived products.
