What is the one beverage Mexicans prefer over tequila and agua de sabor? La Coca! It may as well be considered the 5th food group here in Mexico. In some, if not most, of my Mexican friends’ homes, if the garrafón of purified water and the Coca run out at the same time, the garrafón can wait. The Coca, however, is replaced immediately at the nearest tiendita (little store located in one’s garage or entry hall). Most family comidas (the most important meal of the Mexican day) are not complete without a bottle or five of Coca on the table. Coca is fed to the elderly, to babies in bottles, and to everyone else in between as a staple in the beverage diet. When a señora or a niño asks you for money or a stranger does you a good deed, like helping you change your tire in the street, the standard request is “Dame para una Coca, nomás.” Enough to buy a Coke is all I ask.
“According to Coke’s 2005 annual report, Mexicans lead the world by drinking some 533 8-ounce servings of Coke beverages per capita annually.”
(Read more at Suite101: Coca-Cola Global Sales: India Most Promising International Market | Suite101.com http://daniel-workman.suite101.com/coca-cola-global-sales-a8625#ixzz1pb4itYy0)
Water: A Basic Human Right?
Well, isn’t the Coca-Cola empire delighted, then, that Mexicans are drinking less water and more Coke? No! Either one is just fine with Coca-Cola! That’s because Coca-Cola owns Agua Ciel, the nationwide door-to-door provider of purified drinking water and mineral water. So is the love of juice a problem for Coca-Cola? Of course not! Coke also owns Jugos Del Valle, Nestea, and Powerade! As one student in class said, “I wondered why the government of Mexico has not filtered its public water supply, seeing that it is relatively simple and affordable. Then I heard the cry in the street advertising door-to-door service for Agua Santorini, and it hit me. I wonder what Coca-Cola and Pepsi pay the Mexican government to maintain the pollution in all public water sources?” Bingo.
From Euromonitor International: Bottled Water in Mexico (http://www.euromonitor.com/bottled-water-in-mexico/report):
“COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
- Danone was the number one player in bottled water in 2010, claiming 26% of total volume sales. The company led still bottled water, the dominant category, with its Bonafont brand. It also ranked second in flavoured bottled water, where it offers the Levité brand. Coca-Cola was the second leading company overall, accounting for 24% of total bottled water volume sales. Coca-Cola offers the Ciel (still bottled water) and Ciel Naturae (flavoured bottled water) brands. Pepsi Bottling Group was the third leading player, claiming 13% of total volume sales thanks to its Electropura still bottled water brand. Other prominent players included Envasadora de Aguas en México S de RL de CV, Nestlé, Pepsi-Cola, Grupo Peñafiel and FEMSA.”
The recent documentary Tapped argues against the bottled water industry, asserting that tap water is healthier, more environmentally sustainable, and more ecologically sound than bottled water. The film focuses on the bottled water industry in the United States. The film has received largely positive reviews, and has spawned college campus groups such as Beyond the Bottle.”
Problems with BPA found in the plastic that houses purified water (Wikipedia):
“The Beverage Marketing Corporation defines the bottled water market segment as “retail PET, retail bulk, home and office delivery, vending, domestic sparkling and imports”, but excluding “flavored and enhanced water.”[28] The Plastics Symbol no. 7 is a recent concern worldwide on discovery that large numbers of no.7 plastics are made with Polycarbonate plastic which, experimentally were found to leach bisphenol A. This chemical is a known hormonal disruptor causing miscarriages and birth defects, according to a study conducted by Case Western Reserve scientists. “Synthetic xenoestrogens,” one of which is Bisphenol A or BPA “are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes.” Responsible baby bottle industries are producing BPA-free bottles that are clearly marked.
Reverse osmosis water purification systems can remove up to 90% or more of certain inorganic chemicals. These inorganic chemicals include: fluoride, sulfate, nitrate, iron, copper, lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, silver and zinc. Reverse osmosis can even remove some microbiological contaminants, including Giardia cysts. However unless equipped with an activated charcoal post-filter, reverse osmosis by itself does not remove dissolved gases and organic chemicals such as radon and trihalomethanes,<http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/water/az9419.pdf>.
The U.S. is the largest consumer market for bottled water in the world, followed by Mexico, China, and Brazil.[41] In 2008, U.S. bottled water sales topped 8.6 billion US gallons (33,000,000 m3) for 28.9% of the U.S. liquid beverage market, exceeding sales of all other beverages except carbonated soft drinks, they are followed by fruit juices, and sports drinks.[28] Americans drink 21 US gallons (79 L) of bottled water per capita per year.[42]“
| Per capita consumption by leading countries, 2002-2007 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Litres Per Capita | |||
| Rank | Countries | 2002 | 2007 | |
| 1 | United Arab Emirates | 133.2 | 259.7 | |
| 2 | Mexico | 142.7 | 204.8 | |
| 3 | Italy | 167.3 | 201.7 | |
Como antecedente: En el libro “The Coke Machine – The Dirty Truth Behind the World’s Favorite Soft Drink“, el autor Michael Blanding examina la historia oscura de The Coca-Cola Company. El libro comienza con una descripción gráfica del asesinato del sindicalista Isidro Gil, hecho ocurrido cuando Coca-Cola fue acusada de complicidad con paramilitares para llevar a cabo asesinatos de sindicalistas en América del Sur. El prontuario de esta corporación es largo teniendo en cuenta que fue querellada en La India y México, ya que sus plantas embotelladoras drenaron contaminantes en las fuentes de agua locales. Diagnostico medico: Coca Cola, Pepsi y todas las gaseosas son peores que el tabaco acorde a los daños que causan al organismo.”Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Vanilla, Beat, Delaware Punch, Fanta, Fanta Multi-Sabores, Fresca, Fresca Toronja Rosa, Lift, Lift Manzana Verde, Quatro, Senzao, Sprite, Ciel, Ciel Mineralizada, Keloco, Kin Light, Mickey Aventuras, Nestea, Jugos del Valle, y Powerade
Coca-Cola Global Sales: http://daniel-workman.suite101.com/coca-cola-global-sales-a8625
Answers.com: The Coca-Cola Company: http://www.answers.com/topic/the-coca-cola-company
World Bottled Water Statistics: http://www.fiberwater.com/industry_bwi.php
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