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  • 2022-05-30 (xsd:date)
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  • False posts claiming 'Coca-Cola contains alcohol' circulate in Muslim-majority Malaysia (en)
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  • Multiple Facebook posts shared repeatedly in Muslim-majority Malaysia claim that Coca-Cola contains alcohol, meaning it is haram or forbidden in Islam. But both Coca-Cola and the Malaysian government agency responsible for Islamic affairs have separately said this is false. The posts shared a purported newspaper article screenshot that claimed to show an old recipe for the soft drink, which has not been confirmed by Coca-Cola. The post was shared here on Facebook on May 6, 2022. The post's Malaysian-language caption translates to English as: Alcohol... That's not permissible [in Islam]!! Screenshot of the misleading post, captured on May 26, 2022 The post contains a purported screenshot of a news article with the headline: After 125 yrs, secret Coke formula is out. The article's byline is Times News Network , an online news site based in the US. AFP has not been able to verify where the purported article was published. The article states that an old recipe for Coca-Cola which included alcohol was revealed by the popular podcast This American Life, following the discovery of a 40-year-old report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Coca-Cola would not confirm the purported recipe following the claims made by This American Life in February 2011, the Guardian reported . The newspaper screenshot was shared alongside a similar claim on Facebook here , here and here . But the claim is false, according to Coca-Cola and Malaysian authorities. Non-alcoholic drink A Coca-Cola Malaysia spokesman told AFP that whilst the recipe for Coca-Cola remained a closely guarded secret, alcohol is not one of its current ingredients. Alcohol is not an added ingredient of Coca-Cola and no fermentation takes place when Coca-Cola is made, the spokesman said. Our ingredients and manufacturing processes are rigorously regulated, and regulatory authorities around the world have consistently recognised Coca Cola as non-alcoholic. In Malaysia, a halal certification can be obtained from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), the government agency responsible for the Islamic affairs in the country. Below is a screenshot from the Halal Malaysia Official Portal , which shows that Coca-Cola's distributor in Malaysia has a valid halal certification: Screenshot from the Halal Malaysia Official Portal, which shows Coca-Cola Bottlers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has a valid halal certification The same website also shows the individual products produced by Coca-Cola in Malaysia that have obtained halal certification. Below is a screenshot of the 14 varieties of Coca-Cola and Coke Zero beverages that have been certified as halal: Screenshot of Coca-Cola and Coke Zero beverages that have valid halal certification in Malaysia Coca-Cola produces 86 beverages in Malaysia -- including Sprite and Minute Maid -- which have also been certified as halal and are listed on the portal. Below is an AFP photo of the halal logo used in Malaysia: The halal logo that is displayed on food products prepared according to the Islamic law in Malaysia. ( AFP / Tengku Bahar) (en)
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