3 ms·

While I agree that 99% seems made up. I am a bit of a chemistry hobbyist and produce a wide range of flavourings. I have also been to vanilla farms and bought l

by mianos 3y ago

While I agree that 99% seems made up. I am a bit of a chemistry hobbyist and produce a wide range of flavourings. I have also been to vanilla farms and bought lots of vanilla pods. The yield from vanilla pods, not matter what process I tried, such as, a very long soak on ethanol, hot ethanol or Soxhlet extraction, yield so little I find it hard to believe any of those bulk consumer products container real vanilla from pods. Just anecdotal or course, a sample of one and all that. :)

moritzwarhier 3y ago
I also see no rational reason that the average Coca Cola serving contain any amount of real vanilla pods, given how expensive it is and that vanillin is chemically identical with one main flavoring compund contained in real vanilla. If Coke (or Coke Vanilla even) would cobtain real vanilla, they'd advertise it for sure. I don't remember anything like that
- ForOldHack 3y ago
  "Together they make up a vanilla flavor. Vanillin is just one molecule in that complex mixture, but an important one. However, whereas vanilla will always contain vanillin, just because something contains vanillin doesn't mean it contains vanilla beans." Two thins: Its up to the local bottler whether to use Cane Sugar or beet sugar or Vanilla or Vanillin. Mexican coke uses both Cane sugar and Vanilla. A bar coke from a canister usually had the syrup a bit heavy so you can taste the difference much easier.
  - moritzwarhier 3y ago
    OK, so it might contain some id you're lucky. That's what was trying to say by using the "average" qualifier though. I doubt there's much economic incentive to use real vanilla in 99% of the world / Coca-Cola's market. With the different types of sugar, it's easier for me to imagine a company doing this for economic reasons. There are some very old articles on the web from when Vanilla Coke was introduced, that they had been draining European markets for vanilla pods, ostensively. Sounds like astroturfing to me honestly. There's also a clas action lawsuit about missing real vanilla :D
wlesieutre 3y ago
Call me cynical, but does anything stop companies from using one drop of real vanilla extract, a couple of gallons of artificial vanilla flavor, and then stick it in the ingredients as “natural and artificial flavors” and put a big “MADE WITH REAL VANILLA” badge on the front?
- teruakohatu 3y ago
  I have seen "cider flavoured" drinks where actual cider is 5th on the list of ingredients (water, vodka, sugar, flavours, cider). It is very deceptive.
- wgjordan 3y ago
  Yes, there are false advertising laws which broadly prohibit labels that are deceptive or misleading to a reasonable consumer. In Mantikas v. Kellogg Co. (2018) [1], the 2nd Circuit allowed a false-advertising class-action suit to proceed against Cheez-Its labeled 'Made with Whole Grain' that only had 8g of whole grain in a 29g serving, whose primary ingredient was white flour. The opinion explicitly rejects the situation you describe: > Such a rule would permit Defendant to lead consumers to believe its Cheez-Its were made of whole grain so long as the crackers contained an iota of whole grain, along with 99.999% white flour. Such a rule would validate highly deceptive marketing. [1] https://casetext.com/case/mantikas-v-kellogg-co-1/ https://casetext.com/case/mantikas-v-kellogg-co-1/

by mianos 3y ago

moritzwarhier 3y ago

I also see no rational reason that the average Coca Cola serving contain any amount of real vanilla pods, given how expensive it is and that vanillin is chemically identical with one main flavoring compund contained in real vanilla. If Coke (or Coke Vanilla even) would cobtain real vanilla, they'd advertise it for sure. I don't remember anything like that

ForOldHack 3y ago
"Together they make up a vanilla flavor. Vanillin is just one molecule in that complex mixture, but an important one. However, whereas vanilla will always contain vanillin, just because something contains vanillin doesn't mean it contains vanilla beans." Two thins: Its up to the local bottler whether to use Cane Sugar or beet sugar or Vanilla or Vanillin. Mexican coke uses both Cane sugar and Vanilla. A bar coke from a canister usually had the syrup a bit heavy so you can taste the difference much easier.
- moritzwarhier 3y ago
  OK, so it might contain some id you're lucky. That's what was trying to say by using the "average" qualifier though. I doubt there's much economic incentive to use real vanilla in 99% of the world / Coca-Cola's market. With the different types of sugar, it's easier for me to imagine a company doing this for economic reasons. There are some very old articles on the web from when Vanilla Coke was introduced, that they had been draining European markets for vanilla pods, ostensively. Sounds like astroturfing to me honestly. There's also a clas action lawsuit about missing real vanilla :D

wlesieutre 3y ago

Call me cynical, but does anything stop companies from using one drop of real vanilla extract, a couple of gallons of artificial vanilla flavor, and then stick it in the ingredients as “natural and artificial flavors” and put a big “MADE WITH REAL VANILLA” badge on the front?

teruakohatu 3y ago
I have seen "cider flavoured" drinks where actual cider is 5th on the list of ingredients (water, vodka, sugar, flavours, cider). It is very deceptive.
wgjordan 3y ago
Yes, there are false advertising laws which broadly prohibit labels that are deceptive or misleading to a reasonable consumer. In Mantikas v. Kellogg Co. (2018) [1], the 2nd Circuit allowed a false-advertising class-action suit to proceed against Cheez-Its labeled 'Made with Whole Grain' that only had 8g of whole grain in a 29g serving, whose primary ingredient was white flour. The opinion explicitly rejects the situation you describe: > Such a rule would permit Defendant to lead consumers to believe its Cheez-Its were made of whole grain so long as the crackers contained an iota of whole grain, along with 99.999% white flour. Such a rule would validate highly deceptive marketing. [1] https://casetext.com/case/mantikas-v-kellogg-co-1/ https://casetext.com/case/mantikas-v-kellogg-co-1/