Remember that national junk food tax Mexico was poised to pass a few weeks ago? Well, it was approved Thursday, October 31, and already it seems it's going to have effects that will reach us all. Or at least all fans of Mexican Coke.
Because of the tax, some Coca-Cola bottlers in Mexico are saying they may have to switch from using real cane sugar to cheaper high-fructose corn syrup.
See also: Mexico May Pass a National Junk Food Tax
According to the Los Angeles Times, the chief executive of Mexico's second-largest Coca-Cola bottler said the new tax could cause a "move to more fructose." Doing so would be part of the company's plan to make up for the new tax, which will cost an extra peso, or 8 cents, per liter on soft drinks.
Since 1980, American Coke has been made with high-fructose corn syrup instead of sucrose (or actual sugar), which is why fans of Mexican Coke say the south-of-the-border version tastes so much better. Except we have some bad news. That might not be true, at least scientifically.
A 2010 study by University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine found that Mexican Coke bought in east Los Angeles actually contained no sucrose. Its laboratory tests found equal parts fructose and glucose, suggesting high-fructose corn syrup was an ingredient.
Well, that's a letdown.
