12 ms·
What Coke Contains (2013)
- freedom123 12y agoSounds like someone needs a hug
- jstalin 12y agoThe same type of story as the classic "I, pencil," published in 1958: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%2C_Pencil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%2C_Pencil
- ad_hominem 12y agoA story sometimes referenced by Milton Friedman: http://youtu.be/4ERbC7JyCfU?t=19s http://youtu.be/4ERbC7JyCfU?t=19s
- kevinflo 12y agoI'd love to see the same structure analyzed again by a marxist or something instead of Friedman. Instead of focusing on the pencil getting made by this almost unfathomably complex concert of global labor, you can focus on the few bourgeoise actually profiting from it and how all of these disparate groups of laborers are almost invisibly caught in/exploited by the web. Not that I think either is the whole story, it would just be fun to listen to in the same way that this was.
- 27182818284 12y agoThanks. I vaguely remembered a pencil story similar to this, but I'm glad to have the title now.
- forrestthewoods 12y agoCame here to post exactly this link. A similar ppiece was written in the context software, Dizzying but Invisible Depth. https://plus.google.com/+JeanBaptisteQueru/posts/dfydM2Cnepe https://plus.google.com/+JeanBaptisteQueru/posts/dfydM2Cnepe
- joshdance 12y agoHe edited the piece to note that one. I love this tool chain type piece. Someone should write one about computer tool chains.
- zachrose 12y agoWow, yeah. Explaining how a goofy CSS animation appears on your screen after being sent from a disk on a web server, starting from rare earth metals and silicon purification.
- Theodores 12y agoYou could say this about any product. I think the essay would be considerably longer if it concerned a typical PC or phone, not to mention a car. I also think the essay can be written with cynicism instead of wonder, e.g. with an anti-capitalist slant. With one innocuous affordable purchase you can deforest and pollute four continents whilst giving yourself diabetes and dental caries!!!
- pbreit 12y agoBut I think a primary aspect of the essay had to do with a seemingly simple item costing only $0.50.
- hyperbovine 12y agoNow everyone can afford to destroy the planet!
- justizin 12y agoAnd just to think, you could have saved that $0.50 and drank some water, but then the human chorus that is coca cola would go quiet..
- swartkrans 12y agoIs the ammonia dangerous? Or can it be? How much ammonia can a person consume before it becomes dangerous?
- montecarl 12y agoAmmonia is a gas at standard temperature and pressure. Unless they are intentionally pumping ammonia gas into the final product there should only be trace amounts. Furthermore it isn't poisonous in small quantities, we have an enzyme that breaks it down.[1] 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbamoyl_phosphate_synthetase http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbamoyl_phosphate_synthetase
- d0mdo0ss 12y ago> coca-leaf which comes from South America and is processed in a unique US government authorized factory in New Jersey to remove its addictive stimulant cocaine According to Wikipedia "The Stepan Company is the only manufacturing plant authorized by the Federal Government to import and process the coca plant, which it obtains mainly from Peru and, to a lesser extent, Bolivia. Besides producing the coca flavoring agent for Coca-Cola, the Stepan Company extracts cocaine from the coca leaves, which it sells to Mallinckrodt, a St. Louis, Missouri, pharmaceutical manufacturer that is the only company in the United States licensed to purify cocaine for medicinal use."
- themodelplumber 12y agoThe Stepan Company slogan: "LET'S DO THIS GUYS"
- nostromo 12y agoIt would be interesting to see how the cocaine supply line works. I imagine they'd need armored vehicles and a lot of security for the entire trip from NJ to MO.
- w1ntermute 12y ago> [Stepan employee] O'Brien runs a network of agents in Peru and Bolivia who get coca leaves from some of the same farms that supply the Colombian drug cartels. When a shipment arrives in the U.S., a high-security convoy of trucks ferries the leaves from the docks of Manhattan to Maywood, where it is greeted by a rifle-toting guard. After production, armored cars leave the building loaded with barrels of high-quality cocaine. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19941106&id=62swAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ojMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6675,1346835 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=348&dat=19941106&id=62...
- jonknee 12y agoNo more so that the security used for painkillers like Oxycontin. I haven't seen armed guards doing deliveries at CVS, but you never know. There are a lot less suspicious ways to acquire cocaine than to hijack a semi.
- makmanalp 12y agoMy favourite version of this is a picture of a boeing 787 and where all the parts are manufactured: http://seattletimes.com/art/news/business/boeing/787/partsengineering.gif http://seattletimes.com/art/news/business/boeing/787/partsen... Of course if you could break it down further into smaller parts and tools to manufacture those parts, you'd get an even greater variety of countries and companies. The center where I work actually does work slightly related to this, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JC24CBVsdo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JC24CBVsdo
- gokhan 12y ago> The number of individuals who know how to make a can of Coke is zero. This reminds me a fact I remember time to time. If civilization collapses after, say, a world war, I most probably can't make a pot, can't grow plants, can't differentiate if one is edible or not, can't dig for petrol, can't make plastic (or even glass), can't reinvent concrete, can't make gunpowder etc., you get the point. I can only write software and maybe drill with tools and nail with a hammer but that's all.
- ShawnBird 12y agoYou should at least know how to splice and crimp an ethernet cable.
- Swizec 12y agoBasic concrete is actually not that complex. You need to burn limestone until it collapses into a powder, then add sand and water. Done. For stronger cement, add clay powder. Have you never had relatives who built a house? Sure, usually you'd buy the powdered stone, but I've heard stories of my great grandparent's generation making it on site.
- scintill76 12y ago(Rhetorical questions) What does limestone look like? Where can I find it, and what do I need to know about working with it? How hot does the fire have to be, and what do I need to know to build a fire that hot? Maybe I'm just dumb on some of these points, but these are my personal followup questions that indicate that, even knowing these basics, I couldn't immediately make concrete without "civilization". Even the great grandparents who made their own concrete, may have bought the limestone and not known how to get it themselves.
- pm90 12y agoLimestone is the brittle yellow rock that you can find sometimes. Hmm, now Im interested in how they locate it underground. But there are many naturally occurring open deposits like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Cliffs_of_Dover http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Cliffs_of_Dover
- klinquist 12y agoYou can make your own almost-Coke... OpenCola, the open-source cola. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenCola_(drink) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenCola_(drink)
- MrJagil 12y agoAnyone tried it?
- lobster_johnson 12y agoYep, it's great. Better than Coke — you make it fresh, after all, directly from oils. (I suspect Coca-Cola has found, over the years, ways to replace some of the oils with synthetic or otherwise acceptable substitutes.) In our office we used to have it on tap for a while, but the carbonation process is a bit fiddly. So now we have beer instead.
- rafamvc 12y agoIs cocaine one of the ingredients?
- mtinkerhess 12y agoThe linked page includes the ingredient list.
- nemof 12y agoour local indie cinema produces its own cola using this recipe, it's very good, so good that they actually produce and sell it in bulk. http://www.cube-cola.org/ http://www.cube-cola.org/
- cpach 12y agoCool :)
- gburt 12y agoI am reminded of I, Pencil. [1] [1] http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/rdPncl1.html http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/rdPncl1.html
- srean 12y agoThe article waxes so eloquently about this beloved product that I would have mistaken it for a paid PR piece. The article is great read nonetheless. For those who are also interested in the other darker, grimier side of the same coin, might want to check out its use of mercenaries for union busting in South America(by murder of course. In the hands of the right spinners that would be 'terrorism'), similar stuff happened in India as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola#Bottling_plant_murders http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola#Bottling... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola#Environmental_issues http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola#Environm...
- GFischer 12y agoThe union-busting incident, while dark, seems to be an isolated incident. If you saw the kinds of gangsters that become union leaders in South America these days, you'd at least consider using mercenaries. The local Coca Cola union head here in Uruguay is not a man to be trifled with (Richard Read), he has gotten them incredible benefits (it pays better than programming over here :P ). And the guys in Argentina are legitimate thugs and crooks (well, so is the government :P ) See for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Moyano http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Moyano Edit: a side effect of such union power is that Uruguay has the most expensive Coca-Cola in the world, a 2 liter bottle costs 3.5 dollars after taxes (so almost twice what it costs in the U.S.)
- nitrogen 12y agoEdit: a side effect of such union power is that Uruguay has the most expensive Coca-Cola in the world, a 2 liter bottle costs 3.5 dollars after taxes (so almost twice what it costs in the U.S.) Does that reduce consumption to the point that there are noticeable population-wide health benefits?
- GFischer 12y agoNope, it just means we have a large amount of substitute drinks (and Cola-flavored generic drinks) from lots of local brands.
- Someone1234 12y agoI wish Coca Cola would make a acid free version of coke. The Phosphoric Acid adds a slight tang to the drink, but in exchange absolutely destroys your teeth over years of consumption. For regular drinkers like myself I'd happily pay a small premium to buy the "acid free" version of the drink. The sugar still does damage but with both the acid AND sugar it is like a double whammy of "badness" (acid which destroys your teeth's natural protective coating, and sugar to feed the bacteria which actually eat away at your teeth). No amount of brushing can really undo the amount of damage acidic soda does to your teeth, trust me I know! Even with prescription toothpaste with fluoride 5x times stronger than normal (5000 ppm toothpaste Vs. 1100 ppm) you're only slowing down the progression.
- lpgauth 12y agoI'm no chemist, but couldn't you just add a base to neutralize the phosphoric acid (e.g. calcium carbonate)?
- MAGZine 12y agoif you were interested in adding salt and water (the by products of a neutralization reaction) to the drink, then yes.
- refurb 12y agoSalt? Sodium chloride? Or you mean the salt of phosphoric acid?
- owenversteeg 12y agoA salt, not salt. Salt: sodium chloride (NaCl, table salt, etc.) A salt: an ionic compound from an acid-base neutralization
- rectangletangle 12y agoYes, but it'd probably alter the flavor for the worse.
- raverbashing 12y ago"The top of the can is then added. This is carefully engineered: it is made from aluminum, but it has to be thicker and stronger to withstand the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas, and so it uses an alloy with more magnesium than the rest of the can" Yes, but the pressure is the same on all parts of the can. Ok, almost the same, still. Maybe because of the parts that have been cut to make it easy to open?
- TylerE 12y agoThe top is (basically) flat. The sides and bottom are curved.
- Smachine 12y agoThink of all of the jobs the making of Coke provides. Oh here we go......lol
- azatris 12y agoRelated articles: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3633389 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3633389 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2221586 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2221586
- bjornsing 12y ago> The top of the can is then added. This is carefully engineered: it is made from aluminum, but it has to be thicker and stronger to withstand the pressure of the carbon dioxide gas, and so it uses an alloy with more magnesium than the rest of the can. Nope, the pressure from the carbon dioxide pushes equally against all sides of the can. If anything the pressure at the top is slightly lower than at the bottom, at least if the can is standing, because of the weight of the coke pushing against the bottom.
- refurb 12y agoYou are correct, but I read that as "the weakest part of a can is the top and bottom, so it needs to be stronger"
- jonah 12y agoThe pressure difference is trivial. The reason it has to be thicker is because the top is flatter than the sides (convex) and bottom (concave). If the top was domed up it could be thinner. Have you ever seen an overheated or frozen can? The top is usually bulging while the rest is still intact.
- electromagnetic 12y agoActually most frozen cans have the bottom inverted, but I've only noticed this happen since about 2010. It used to be that a fully frozen can always used to blow.
- ladelfa 12y agoTop also needs to be stronger to handle the stress of the flip-top, which -- fun fact! -- starts off as a second-class lever and ends up as a first-class lever. http://crowdtube.tv/watch/pop-can-stayon-tab-slow-motion/ http://crowdtube.tv/watch/pop-can-stayon-tab-slow-motion/
- NotOscarWilde 12y agoSpeaking as somebody who's never even smoked a cigarette or a joint: are there people who tried to recreate the "original" coke recipe? The one with "unprocessed" coca leaves? Is it available on say the latest instance of Silk Road? What is it like?
- justincormack 12y agoThe book on the history of coke says that when cocaine was removed old timers would stir some in. However it has no real effect, as ingesting cocaine is not particularly effective except in the presence of alcohol. (The original French recipe that Coke was borrowed form had red wine in).
- thenmar 12y agoVery interesting, considering the existence of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalimotxo which sounds a little weird but actually tastes pretty good.
- jotm 12y agoI bet it would be pretty mild - like a cup of ephedrine tea (banned for a while now, how stupid). Cocaine, even in its pure form, is not that much of a stimulant and it has a short half-life - methamphetamine or even amphetamine would be much better choices. Or just grab some phenylethylamine while it's still legal.
- justintocci 12y agoi wonder what the failure rate on the interior coating is? How often are people ingesting disolved aluminum?
- dspeyer 12y agoIf the soda started dissolving the aluminum, I doubt it would stop until it had dissolved a hole straight through the can.
- argumentum 12y agoA brilliant paean to the free market and the invisible hand. Milton Friedman once described the manufacture of a humble pencil in this way. (edit: just saw a link to an essay entitled "I, Pencil" at the bottom .. this might have pre-dated Friedman).
- alecco 12y agoTo keep you drinking they add plenty of sodium (50mg+) masked with sugar, HFCS, or sweeteners. They also add caffeine as a diuretic to keep consumers drinking, too. And then they market it to children, lovely people. Check out Dr. Robert Lustig videos. Also, the book Salt, Sugar, Fat, about food industry engineering.
- maxerickson 12y agoThe amount of caffeine in soda doesn't cause any dehydration. Here's an article talking about coffee (which has more caffeine per unit volume than soda): http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee-myth-busting-cup-of-joe-may-help-hydration-and-memory http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/13/262175623/coffee...
- cbhl 12y agoArticle title should probably contain (2013).
- dang 12y agoThanks, we missed that one.
- Istof 12y ago"[...] and the edges of the can are folded over it and welded shut." I never thought there was any weld in a soda can... (and I still don't think there is any)
- ShaneOG 12y agoIt's true. There are some more in-depth details (with graphics and PDFs) here: http://www.canmakers.co.uk/education http://www.canmakers.co.uk/education
- Istof 12y agoIt doesn't talk about welding.... "13.An interlocking seam is formed at high speed. Up to 2000 cans go through the process each minute." http://www.canmakers.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/v2-How-cans-are-filled.pdf http://www.canmakers.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011... Also tried a site-wide search: https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.canmakers.co.uk+weld https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Awww.canmakers.co.uk+w...
- yarou 12y agoHe forgot to mention the Colombian paramilitaries that break up Coke bottling plant unions by kidnapping their children. Funny how "globalization" is presented in a saran-wrapped, sanitized version.
- jeffbarr 12y agoThis is my favorite sentence of the article: > Modern tool chains are so long and complex that they bind us into one people and one planet. When we think about colonizing the Moon or Mars with small groups of people with the intention of making the colonies self-sustaining over time, deep, long-evolved tool chains like the one described in the article could be very difficult to scale down and to replicate in other environments.
- pm90 12y agoNot necessarily. The only reason why this toolchain is global is that the bauxite is cheapest in Australia. If you mined bauxite in US, you would have a very local operation. In the case of Moon or Mars, I'm sure they would find it much easier to mine on the planets surface (especially since it doesn't harm the earth's environment that way).
- jotm 12y agoThey'd never be truly self-sustaining - that's borderline impossible if you want any kind of quality and growth. There will always be a supply line from Earth and other colonies.
- TazeTSchnitzel 12y ago> The number of individual nations that could produce a can of Coke is zero. While this is true in that no individual nation could produce Coke with the exact same formula, an individual nation could surely produce a soft drink.
- hencq 12y agoBut not too many of those countries also have bauxite mines, coca plants and kola nuts.
- TazeTSchnitzel 12y agoI mean, the entire thing, including the aluminium from a bauxite mine. Just perhaps not the coca plants and kola nuts, unless they want to make a greenhouse.
- saalweachter 12y agoEhhh. The globalization is more about economics and cost minimization than capability. The Australian bauxite mines are the richest and cheapest mines to operate, which makes other sources of aluminum not worth exploiting, but aluminum is still the third most common element on Earth. The plant ingredients could presumably be grown -- albeit far more expensively and perhaps not in large enough quality for full-scale production -- in greenhouses or under grow lights anywhere. So it's not so much that many nations couldn't produce a can of Coke by themselves as it doesn't make economic sense for them to produce a can of Coke by themselves when the raw ingredients can be had much more cheaply as an import.
- joshfraser 12y ago1 can of coke contains 160% of your recommended daily intake of sugar. But you won't see that on the label because money.
- ashmud 12y ago(This is probably pedantic.) USDA recommendation: "It is suggested that the maximal intake of added sugars be limited to providing no more than 25 percent of energy." (src: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Tables/macronutrients.pdf http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Tables/macronutrients.p...) For 2000 kcal, that would be 32.5g. Reads slightly different as a maximal intake rather than a RDA.
- joshfraser 12y agoThe World Health Organization recently halved their recommended sugar intake for adults, from the original 10 percent of total daily calories to 5 percent. For a normal weight adult, that's about 25 grams. A can of coke in the US contains 40g of sugar. Our food labels show daily recommended amounts for everything except sugar. Why? Because putting 160% on the can would be bad for Coca Cola. Too often the USDA protects and defends big business instead of the people. Note the amount of money spent on lobbyists and the revolving door that exists between the USDA and lobbying firms: https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/search_result.php?agency=Dept+of+Agriculture&id=EAAGR https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/search_result.php?agen...
- lpolovets 12y agoThere's a book with a similar theme about Twinkies. It's called "Twinkie, Deconstructed" (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OZ0NZS http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OZ0NZS)
- vesche 12y ago> ... the inside of the can is painted too — with a complex chemical called a comestible polymeric coating that prevents any of the aluminum getting into the soda. I though this was very interesting, so I did a little digging... There is remarkably little information on these 'comestible polymeric coatings', but I was able to find (see below) a reason as to why that is. Apparently these coatings are propriety to the manufacturer and there are competing companies who are constantly in a race to find the best coating. It's supremely interesting the fact that drinking a can of coke is almost a magic trick right in front of your eyes. It'd be like someone holding a lighter straight to a piece of paper and everyone being baffled as to why it isn't lighting on fire. Yet when someone drinks a coke no one bats an eye as to how it isn't mixing with the metal salts and eating straight through the aluminum can. "Interior can coatings designed to prevent migration of metal salts into the contained product are called "comestible polymeric coatings". The coatings ars polymers typically used in coil coating. The exact nature of the coatings isn't available since most are proprietary to manufacturers who continuously look for better coatings." source: http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=258261 http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=258261
- JacobAldridge 12y agoActually, the Pinjarra process creates Aluminium. The process of shipping it to Long Beach CA converts it into aluminum.
- vegggdor 12y agoHad to read that twice to catch it
- neya 12y agoI'm surprised that the author hasn't mentioned the use of toxins (pesticides)[1], to the extent that it is even being used as a real pesticide in various parts of India. I know some may find this offensive, but sorry, I think I have a moral responsibility myself to let the people around me know of the harms caused by this carcinogen[1]. Cheers. [1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola#Pesticide_use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Coca-Cola#Pesticid...
- kbenson 12y agoTo clarify, that linked article states that Coke and Pepsi products produced in India tested extremely high in some chemicals used as pesticides (e.g. DDT), not that all coke products contain high levels of them and they happen to be used as pesticides in India. I found the parent's meaning ambiguous in this respect.
- boombip 12y agoI would like to note that they found pesticides only in soft-drinks in India. Tests for the US found no pesticides. I'm not trying to minimize this or anything, it is really horrible but I was wondering if this really was a world-wide problem as the above comment suggests.
- InclinedPlane 12y agoThis is good, although I think it reaches just a little too far when it says that the number of nations that could produce a can of coke is zero. If the US so desired it could grow coca leaves, and kola nuts, and use locally produced aluminum, etc.
- exacube 12y agoHow can 0 people know what's in Coke while still getitng it FDA approved? Surely this can't be true.. How does the company know how to make a can of coke if they don't know how it's put together?
- DanBC 12y agoThere are no people who know all the steps - from mining minerals and refining and making the aluminium for the can; through engineering the can; to growing and harvesting and processing the botanicals; etc. Obviously they know the ingredients.
- div 12y agoThe article doesn't claim 0 people know what's in Coke. It claims 0 people know how to make a can of Coke, from start to finish, i.e. from mining your own raw materials to make aluminium to extracting the cocaine from the coca leaves to a finished can that can be put on a store shelve.
- AlyssaRowan 12y agoNot that I want to waste any time on a HPLC-MS machine on this, but I was distinctly under the impression Coca-Cola 7X does not actually contain kola nut? I've had Red Bull Cola, and actually found it quite different, but delicious. No accounting for taste, though.
- WiggleYourIndex 12y agoClean water tastes better.
- Tloewald 12y agoThis article reminds me strongly of a pivotal passage in the novel Gain, by Richard Powers (which I can't recommend highly enough, although it's a downer). In that passage he describes how a disposable film camera is made.