Time for a Taste Test?

There’s a message for health care leaders in today’s Health Politics program, but I’m going to make you watch the video or read the transcript to find out what it is. Why? Because I’d rather blog today about the secondary theme of today’s program -- the popularity of Mexican Coca-Cola in the United States.

Are you aware of this trend? Evidently, Mexican Coca-Cola is being brought across the border through an underground supply chain that has nothing to do with corporate Coca-Cola’s long-established distribution system.

Now, Coke is Coke, right? So what difference does it make if you buy it in New York, Atlanta, or Mexico City? That’s what I said to myself at first. Then I found out that Coca-Cola made in Mexico contains cane sugar while the U.S. switched to using high-fructose corn syrup (because it’s cheaper) in the 1980s. Do the two versions taste the same? Depends on who you ask. Corporate Coca-Cola says “yes” and I’ve heard a lot of consumers can’t tell the difference in a taste test, but Mexicans in the U.S. say the Mexican version has “a better taste and mouth feel.” That’s why they’re willing to pay nearly a dollar more for it in the U.S. than it’s sold for in Mexico.

I haven’t tried Mexican Coca-Cola, myself, but I am curious. I think a taste test is in order. Let me know if you’ve tried it and can tell the difference.