Venezuela Bans Sale of Coke Zero

Perhaps Hugo Chavez is not the totally insane buffoon he is sometimes portrayed. Though the specific reasons were not given, the message is clear, non-nutritive additives are getting out of hand.

from Huffington Post

The Venezuelan government of U.S.-critic President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday ordered Coca-Cola Co to withdraw its Coke Zero beverage from the South American nation, citing unspecified dangers to health.

The decision follows a wave of nationalizations and increased scrutiny of businesses in South America’s top oil exporter.

Health Minister Jesus Mantilla said the zero-calorie Coke Zero should no longer be sold and stocks of the drink removed from store shelves.

“The product should be withdrawn from circulation to preserve the health of Venezuelans,” the minister said in comments reported by the government’s news agency.

Do we need an abusive dictator to show us the way?

A couple of days ago, I was watching the top executive of Coca-Cola International, Muhtar Kent, being interviewed by Charlie Rose (some highlights here). The interview was rather enlightening, both because I had no idea that the head of this once American company was of Turkish origin, I was also amazed at the emphasis put on the emerging markets by this man, and the tie-in to non-standard Coke products. By non-standard, I refer to the beverages that that company produces with artificial sweeteners.

The thing I immediately zeroed in on was the company feeling the need to produce, across the world, not just a single, but many, Cola products that are sweetened without sugar. The problems with sugar are well known, and perhaps this is the major fuel for the wide variety of zero or near zero calorie drinks.

I do wonder if this is not a case where the devil you know is not the proper path, rather than simply assuming that these non-nutritive sweeteners should be used by persons to avoid the dangers compounded by overweight conditions, such as diabetes, or if those chances should be taken, and the problems with sugar be mitigated by self control.

The reasons for Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lemon, and Diet Coke with Lime, are simply that the after-taste of these non-standard sweeteners are all blessed with an aftertaste that is anything from annoying to disgusting. The many choices are an effort to get the potential consumer a drink that is least repelling to their individual taste. (In few words, you are given the chance to pick your poison.) I use the word blessed, because I feel that is how we should feel, as it is a wake up call to the fact that our bodies were not designed to operate with these compounds in them.

The problems with artificial sweeteners are many, from increased cancer risk to the appearance of benign (sic) tumors. They are well chronicled, so it is not as if I am talking out of turn, or from non-standard orifices.

Now, after a long period of refusal of the FDA to approve it, the organic, though questionable product stevia has been allowed to be sold in wide release, with long term studies being personally funded by those who try it, in their never ending search to get something for nothing. By the way, the brand name being hawked on television is Truvia. Catchy, eh?

As both Leftystrat and I have pointed out, Pepsi has brought back some of their products, using sucrose, that product so recently unknown in beverages that younger people might believe it is another, in the long list of artificial things, being put in by the manufacturers. For the chemistry-challenged, sucrose is table sugar, obtained predominantly from either cane or beets, and a product time tested to not have harmful effects not related to calorie content.

Now I don’t advocate anyone drinking soda beverages, but I do, and so do many. If you do, you owe it to yourself to drink things that taste good, and that will only require a bit more exercise, not a trip to the medical center someday. If you drink these things, try the ones that are again, for a short time, naturally sweetened, and if you can’t stop drinking soda or other sweetened drinks, pursue a path to getting the manufacturer’s choice of sugar to be a permanent one.

Remember, when you choose anything other than sucrose, even HFCS, you truly are picking your poison. Though we often can live better through chemistry (a popular slogan for a popular chemical company), remember, it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!

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