Prebiotics occur naturally in things like leeks, garlic, bananas and oats. But the Coca-Cola prebiotics do not, of course, occur naturally. The Coke boffins are not boiling up and distilling vats of porridge. The manufacturing process is not shared, but you can be sure that it’s extracted from maize, the intensive and frankly unnecessary – when used to convey a malign cloak of malice in the drinks industry – farming of which depletes soil and water resources and requires massive amounts of fertiliser, which then pollutes waterways with nitrogen and phosphorus.
The maize is broken down to a glucose-rich syrup before being processed with stuff like enzymes (to make it digestible) before being purified into a soluble fibre so it can be mixed into drinks. It’s a cacophony of hideous ultra-processing that calls to mind the sage advice of the great Chris van Tulleken, the author of Ultra-Processed People, his ground-breaking study on the effects of UP products on human and planet health. To paraphrase him: if it’s not in your kitchen cupboard, it shouldn’t be in your tummy.
The problem is, sage voices like those of van Tulleken are hard to hear when a company like Coca-Cola holds the megaphone. Coke’s global annual revenue was up 2 per cent in 2025 to $47.9bn (£36bn), the company has millions of followers on multiple accounts across social media and it is a major sponsor of sports, from Fifa and the World Cup to the Olympics and Paralympics, the Premier League and college sport in the US.
When the world’s fittest folk are associated with Coca-Cola and its brands it’s hard not to avoid the subliminal message that their stuff is not just good for you but will make you even more healthy.
And one feels for the purveyors of genuine healthy foods when firms like Coca-Cola steal their ideas to sell their filth. Gut health being, of course, a relatively new understanding of the importance of our digestive system and its efficiency. I refer you to Prof Tim Spector or Dr Emily Leeming if you’re up for a deep dive into the issue. Which is, possibly, what the big-brand wrong ’uns have been doing – chucked a book by the big boss and ordered to race between the covers and see what noble ideas can be pinched, ransacked and rinsed to further their business.
Doritos are at it, too. The crisp brand, owned by PepsiCo, with an estimated global brand value of $6.6bn, and made in Coventry, recently launched a “protein” range, the most ostentatious being Sizzling Steak. This heinous venture uses the sumptuous simplicity of a chargrilled steak to encourage you to chomp on a tortilla crisp, the message being: it’s pure, protein-rich and a healthy substitute for a high-carb treat.
Except, of course, it is nothing of the sort. The “sizzling steak” is just flavourings, a fact proved by the dietary information online that says (and I almost quake as I write this) “Suitable for Vegetarians”.
Needless to say, if you want steak, get an actual steak. And if you’re thirsty, have a glass of water.