When it comes to soda, you don’t need to be a regular drinker to recognize the red and white color palette of Coca-Cola. It’s the epitome of iconic, to say the least! However, the next time you’re at the grocery store, you might notice something different about certain bottles of Coca-Cola.
Instead of the classic red bottle cap, select bottles of Coca-Cola will have a yellow one.
A yellow bottle cap indicates that the bottle is fit, or kosher, for Passover. (“Kosher” is the Hebrew word for “fit” or “proper.”) A food is certified kosher if it complies with the standards of Jewish law. And while Coca-Cola is certified kosher throughout the year, the standards on Passover are higher.
This is because foods made with barley, rye, wheat, spelt, and oats aren’t kosher for Passover.
You might be surprised to learn that some of these ingredients are actually present in Coca-Cola. It comes down to the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and how it’s made. According to OK Kosher Certification, making HFCS requires alpha-amylase, an enzyme that usually comes from barley. The corn might also be soaked in water that’s been used for the production of wheat starch.
But around Passover, Coca-Cola makes Coke with sucrose, which comes from beet or cane sugar.
This way, Jews who are observing the holiday can still drink it!
The yellow cap indicates that the Coke is made with sucrose instead of HFCS.
It also has an extra symbol on the bottle cap.
A kosher certification symbol is called a hechsher.
There are many hechshers, but the “O-U” (or Ⓤ) is one the most widely recognized markings in the world.
It’s the certification symbol of the Orthodox Union.
You can find “Ⓤ” on many foods, such as Oreos and Lara Bars.
The yellow caps will also have a “Ⓤ-P” stamping.
Some people claim that Coke made with sucrose tastes better than the HFCS version.
In fact, it’s not unusual for people who don’t celebrate Passover to stock up on the limited-edition Coke.
Sucrose was the original sweetener for Coca-Cola, anyway.
This sweetener is essentially basic table sugar.
HFCS is a heck of a lot cheaper, though.
In the mid-1980s, Coca-Cola (and Pepsi) ditched the sucrose and started using HFCS instead.
Think you can tell a difference? Keep an eye out for Coca-Cola bottles with yellow caps.
Passover lasts for eight days, so this limited-edition Coke won’t be around forever.
