Are Pepsi, Coca-Cola really Israeli products?

Ovisruti Shastri

Published: October 27, 2023, 02:47 PM

Are Pepsi, Coca-Cola really Israeli products?

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"Pepsi, Coca-Cola are Israeli products, so they should be boycotted" - such posts are often seen on social media. Along with that, products of Unilever or Bata are sometimes said to be Israeli products and they should be banned. But, is it really so?

Without any kind of reliable source, the list is being propagated by adding the names of the products of several companies in different countries. There are also many company or product names that were established long before the state or concept of Israel was established.

A list of 33 products across 15 categories has been circulated on social media to protest the atrocities of the Hamas-Israeli war. The products included in this list of 15 categories are: Bata, Clear, Sunsilk, Dove, Lifebuoy, L‍‍`Oreal, BOSS, Garnier, Surf Excel, Wheel, Vaseline, Ponds, Glow and Lovely, Johnson & Johnson, Maggi, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, Fanta, 7 up, Aquafina, Taaza, Axe, Rexona, Pepsodent, Close upand even Ford cars are included. 

A list of 33 different types of products being circulated on the Internet claiming to be Israeli products which are not Israeli products. In fact no Israeli links have been found with any of the manufacturers of these products.

Bata established in Switzerland 
Bata, now a multinational company headquartered in Switzerland. In 1894, the journey of the company started by three brothers in Jilin city. Currently Bata is conducting business in more than 70 countries of the world. Among them, the company‍‍`s first business in the territory of present-day Israel began in 1927, about 34 years after the establishment of Bata. Israel was founded on May 14, 1948.

Unilever is a Dutch company

Clear, Sunsilk, Dove, Surf Excel, Wheel, Rin, Vaseline, Ponds, Glow and Lovely etc. are products of Unilever company. Research about Unilever reveals that in 1983 Sunlight started its journey through soap making. Later, in 1930, the Dutch company Margarine merged with Unie and debuted as Unilever.

The Johnson & Johnson company started its journey in the United States in 1886. Its headquarters are in New Brunswick, New Jersey and United States.

A search for the product Maggi shows that it is being promoted as ‍‍`Meggi‍‍` on social media but is spelled correctly as Maggi. The journey of this noodles began in 1884, by Swiss entrepreneur Julius Magee. Later in 1947 Nestlé bought it.

Coca-Cola established in USA

There were calls to boycott Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, Fanta, Seven Up, Aquafina. Coca-Cola Company American Corporation was originally established in 1892. Its headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Sprite and Fanta are two products of Coca-Cola.

A search for Pepsi, Seven Up, Aquafina shows that these products are manufactured by PepsiCo Company. PepsiCo is an American food and beverage company. It was established in 1866. Its headquarters is in New York.

None of them are affiliated with Israel

Among these products, L‍‍`Oreal, Garnier are products of the French cosmetics manufacturer L‍‍`Oreal. The company was started in 1909 by a French pharmacist named Urin Schuyler.

Tea leaf brand Brooke Bond Taaza Tea was established in the United Kingdom in 1845 by a British named Arthur Brooke. It later merged with Lipton Teas and Infusions and Unilever.

Research shows that in 1846, American pharmacist Theron Tilden Pond established T.T. Pond Company. The journey of Ponds started with this organization. Now it has also merged with Unilever.

Finally, the Ford car is also an American company. 

None of the above mentioned products were found to have any relationship with Israel.

 

 

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