“We are Coca-Cola and so much more”: political economic analysis of non-carbonated SSB Coke brands

ABSTRACT

This article utilizes critical political economy to examine how The Coca-Cola Company (Coke) constructs healthy or “natural” messages on food labels and other promotional texts to advertise non-carbonated sugary beverage brands (SSBs) owned by the company. The labeling histories and controversies of two products in particular, VitaminWater and Simply Orange Juice, are analyzed as case studies to illustrate how companies such as Coke have liberally labeled SSBs as healthy with little legal consequence. What results from labeling-related deception are consumers at risk of making ill-informed decisions about their health. However, the cases examined here reveal that current labeling regulation does little to deter from this behavior and allows for the proliferation of misleading claims.

KEYWORDS:

• Food labeling
• political economy
• advertising
• Coke
• SSBs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher J. Garcia

Christopher J. Garcia is a doctoral candidate studying the political economy of communication in the School of Communication at Florida State University. He specializes in critical research involving topics within environmental communication and sports media. Using historical methods, political economy of media and critical textual analysis, he explores how scientific knowledge is debated and discussed within media texts such as food labels, news editorials and podcasts. He is currently working on his dissertation titled ‘Selling Icarus’ Wings: A Political Economic Exploration of Red Bull’s ‘Wings.’

Jennifer M. Proffitt

Jennifer M. Proffitt (PhD, Pennsylvania State University) is a Professor in the School of Communication at Florida State University specializing in critical political economy of media. Her research interests include media history and regulation as well as labor issues in media and media coverage of labor and sports.