Debunked: China Does Not Reclassify Coca-Cola as a Cleaning Product

In the age of social media, misinformation can spread rapidly, especially when accompanied by sensational claims that capture public attention. Recently, a viral post on Facebook claimed that China is planning to reclassify Coca-Cola as a cleaning product instead of a beverage. This alarming assertion has garnered significant attention and raised concerns about the safety of consuming this popular soft drink.

Social Media Claim

The message claiming that China will recategorize the popular beverage as a cleaning product has been spreading on Facebook.

Source | Archive

Fact-Check

To verify the accuracy of the claims, we conducted a search using various keywords. While there are articles from various sources discussing the use of a popular beverage for cleaning bathrooms and unclogging pipes, such as here and here, we did not find any articles that confirm the aforementioned claims.

From the search, we found an article from a Russian website called Panorama.pub, with the English-translated title "Coca-Cola will be sold as a drain cleaner in China" (Source | Archive). The article's content is similar to the current circulating claim and has been published since 2018.

However, the website in question is known as a satirical article website (Source). Furthermore, at the end of the article, there is a label stating, "All texts on this site are grotesque parodies of reality and are not real news." Therefore, it can be concluded that the statement above is not valid.

Currently, Coca-Cola distributes its beverages in China and has production bases in the country. In February, the website Chinadaily reported that Coca-Cola expects to regain its market share in China this year. They expressed confidence in their growth strategies, increased investment in production, and promotion of the brand through online and offline channels, as well as brand marketing innovations.

Advertising Campaign by Coca-Cola in China (Source: Campaign Brief Asia)

Summary

In conclusion, the claim that China will no longer sell Coca-Cola as a beverage and will categorize it as a cleaning product is entirely false. This misinformation originated from a Russian parody website and has no factual basis. Coca-Cola continues to be a popular beverage worldwide, including in China.

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