How Coca-Cola Is Killing Mexico 

I'm from Mexico City and I know people that are decently wealthy who can't even conceive the idea of consuming any type of food without drinking at least half a liter of coke. Some people even get very upset if you only offer plain water in your house, we think water with fruit and a shit ton of sugar is THE healthy option to drink when you sit down for a meal. It's a cultural thing and it's depressing as fuck.

Bottled water is very dystopian when you think about it. We managed to take something that no human can live without and turn it into a multibillion dollar industry

I stopped drinking soda about five years ago, and when I visited family in Mexico everyone was so confused why I wouldn’t drink the soft drinks. Coca Cola really is ingrained in into culture, and it saddens me how bad this whole situation has gotten. Thank you for the video 💖

I'm from northern Mexico and I stopped drinking soda months ago, only on specific moments. But it's crazy how my grandma insists so heavily on me drinking coca cola when we eat to the point she gets upset when I reject and pour myself water instead. It is a severe cultural problem now

This already happened in the Indian state of Kerala, in Palakkad district ages ago. Removing the factory naturally repaired the environment and the populations problems.

This is why I only drink Pepsi.

As a Chiapaneco, you've no idea how much I appreciate you putting this issue on the international spotlight. We've been struggling and fighting for the rights of the people for the water... The corruption runs deep and I can't get through my head how the blood and culture of our people weights less than the profit they can make

Very good video 👍🏽 I recommend hiring a Spanish narrator to create a Spanish version. I guarantee a lot of the younger generation will show this to their parents and other elders. Definitely viral material for Mexicans because it is true that elders are convinced that cola and other unhealthy habits are okay. Took me years to get my mom to stop having cola with every single meal

Something that you probably overlooked mentioning the exercising campaign is that, ironically, exercising makes you need more hydration, which in turn with no accessible water, means you consume even more sugar to rehydrate yourself. And this too doesn't even consider that consuming sugar with your hydration has a negating effect since it takes water to digest the sugar you consume.

I live in Mexico and Coca Cola addiction is something I’ve been struggling with, my family members have been struggling with, even my friends. I’ve been trying to drink less because it is bad for me and I’m scared of getting kidney stones and diabetes

there even are families in Mexico (I've seen them) which can't start eating their meals until coke is in the table. And when there's for some reason no chance to get coke, they get mad or even prefer not to eat. It's crazy how far this problem has gotten.

it's crazy how people in Chiapas, Mexico are literally dying from drinking it, while Coca-Cola just views it as a bigger advertising opportunity for themselves..

im Mexican and my family has indegenous roots and my mom and dad GENUINELY believe a Coca Cola with a squeeze of lime is like medicine :/ my dad had diabetes and so does my grandma and it’s so sad to watch this cycle

I am from the neighbouring state of Chiapas, and my mother is a public healthcare provider, a pediatrician. She tells me she often sees children at the hospital that simply do not drink water. At all. They find it disgusting and only drink Coke, and this is particularly prevalent in indigenous comunities (despite many indigenous activist groups trying to prevent it). The problem with water affects us all. Everyone I know drinks bottled water because water from the tap is untrustworthy, and all my life I have bought water from "Pipas" which is what we call the trucks you mentioned. I was shocked when I learned that there are countries that not only have free flowing tap water, but water from the tap that is also drinkable. Like, insane. The city also doesn't have a decent sewage system so when it rains the streets flood with shit water. It is a shame that Coke has managed to engrain itself into Mexican and indigenous culture this way.

I'm from the state where Coca Cola was invented, Georgia. I went to Mexico to meet my family and I can confirm, coke was everywhere. I went to many family and friends houses, and they all brought out a 2 liter coke. I was surprised, Mexico seems to love it more than where it originated.

Mexican here, my mother had a close friend who was so addicted to sugary drinks like coca cola and other sugary foods that it drove her to her grave. She suffered from diabetes for years but refused to reduce her sugar consumption significantly enough

When I clicked on the video I really didn’t expect to learn about this problem plaguing my country that I hadn’t even realized since it is so ingrained into our culture now. Thank you for bringing awareness

This feels so alien to me... about 20 years ago my friend group all decided that we wouldn't drink any more soft drinks (unless it was with alcohol - hey we were teenagers ofc we needed exceptions) and since then I honestly think I've only had a sip or two of various carbonated beverages over the years at most. I am truly lucky that I grew up where I did with access to clean, safe, reliable water, infrastructure and education, and I truly hope that these people can find a way out of this late stage capitalistic nightmare.

The fact that I got a coke ad before this video is diabolical

Im from the UK but live in San Cristobal de Las Casas. Great video but if If I could, I’d like to add a few points. You can very easily find drinking water within the city itself. The problem is more with cost: branded filtered water costs around 35 pesos for 20 litres, compared to water which is filtered locally (and has gotten me sick multiple times) which costs about 10-15 pesos. Most locals in cities will drink water from ‘garrafones’ (large bottles mostly filtered locally) instead of smaller ones sold by Coke. The consumption of coca-cola is actually not so crazy in the centre of the city either, I’d say people drink less than in other big Mexican cities. The problem is much bigger, as mentioned, in indigenous communities. Infrastructure, education and poor relations with mainstream society are as big a problems as Coca-Cola themselves. Most people who live in indigenous communities are hours from large towns and are mainly ignored by governments. All education if offered in Spanish (which many people don’t speak). People receive little information about hygiene and don’t trust the information they do, due to a long history of mistreatment from the government. In some villages, kids aren’t just growing up with Coke, they also have a diet of mostly, or completely, ultra-processed food like crisps. Soft drinks are definitely intertwined with indigenous culture now, though. People give Coke as a wedding gift. I’ve seen rituals with it, it’s incredibly common. Even if water becomes cheaper now, education, fractured relations and shifts in culture will make it hard to reduce consumption significantly. Reactions in the city are also mixed. You can see a lot of graffiti related to soft drinks (images of the virgin Mary feeding coke to her baby, the words ‘roba agua’ (steals water) written in the iconic typography etc.) but many don’t see it as a bad thing. It’s one of the biggest employers in the city, maybe the biggest. Either way, systemic corruption at every level means it’s unfortunately unlikely that things will change. Water is money and even here in what’s technically a wetland, if there’s enough cash offered it will get sucked dry!

It happens so fast honestly, when I still lived with my parents for a limited time I drank like at least one bottle of coca cola every day, and after I needed to go into the hospital (for other reasons) the doctors thought I had diabetis because my blood sugar was so irregular. I didn't even realized how much I was drinking and our family was pretty wealthy with good education, we all did lots of sport and ate pretty healthy. Just those cokes messed my body up pretty bad. It was only for a few month like this, idk if I would still be alive if I hadn't stopped with it

Pro tip if your potable water has still too much chlorine or chlorine products in it and when it is unpleasant to drink. Boil it and wait for it to cool down. The chlorine in the water escapes with the water vapor and the water tastes normal and it should not affect your health anymore.

Damn, this hits so hard for me. My dad barely drinks alcohol, doesn't do drugs and has been living 30 years without touching a cigarette, but he can't live without his glass of coca cola, he drinks it religiously and gets pretty upset whenever he doesn't take it. It's pretty concerning because he has certainl health problems related to his habit.

The boiling frog analogy describes a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. That is what Coca-Cola is doing.

I’ve been to San Christobal in 2019 and the one thing I remember from back then is how dirty the canyon nearby was. The surface of the water was only plastic/trash and it had a terrible smell to it. We were on a speedboat tour through the canyon, but in hindsight I would have never supported their business as it massively disrupted what was left of nature at that place. Also I remeber the Billboards and Coca Cola logos everywhere in the city. I think me and my travel buddy were even joking about the city being sponsored by Coca Cola. So much to that…

Damn, this might be really weird to all of you but I realised I've been drinking average 2 litres of coke for quite awhile. I know the health risks, but I hadn't realised it had gone this out of hand. Thank you for this video I guess.

As someone who has tried Coca-Cola made from Mexico and from the US, I can tell you they taste vastly different. If it’s the same company they are meant to make the same product with the same ingredients but that is not the case. They do something to Coca Cola in Mexico to make it taste soooo much better, they make it even more addictive and make it even harder for it to resist. It’s no wonder people drink so much of it.

My mom who is Colombian has always urged me and even scolded me for whenever I drink coke or any soft drink. When I visited family in Mexico from my dad’s side I saw why. Both of my grandparents had passed when I was still young from diabetes, I saw an aunt with hypertension and diabetes and a cousin who also has hypertension. I suddenly understood why my mom was so upset and I began drinking more water on a daily. Coca-Cola is a leech, taking advantage of the poor water quality and making their soda the only affordable source of drink for the people.

A Fern upload never disappoints.

While my parents didnt grow up in this area in Mexico, they also were quite addicted to Coke-Cola and wasnt until a few years ago that we managed to cut down on it. My dad would talk about how they started off at a young age. And I seen it with my 2 year old nieces that kept drinking Coke or any soft drinks. We're forunate enough that we have access to bottle water. So we've stuck to it. But Coke-Cola can be seen everywhere in my small town, from advertisment to actual beverages. Its quite scary.

Ah c'mon cocka cola would never buy out water supply to be a monopoly on thirst. After all corporate is a people too, they would never prioritise profits over human health. Now stop noticing and get back to consuming.

Watched this video on the german channel, but just like Kurzgesagt, I value your work so I gave it a full watch to boost the algorithm. Also, I can finally share things like this with my non-german friend group! Thank you!

This reminds me of London during the industrial revolution. The water was so unhealthy, dirty and contaminated that people resorted to Whisky and other alcoholic drinks.

This is a weird thing to watch from Australia. We are so lucky. Water is available almost everywhere. Facts about nutrition are taught early on in life. Beer however...

This is why I drink sprite only sometimes.

I was at the store the other day and ran into this mexican lady and her 2 children--one young adult/teenage son and one toddler daughter. My kid and her kid got along and began playing together, leading her son and I to small-talk and chat idly about our lives. They seemed like nice people, though i don’t think the mother spoke english. While we were chatting i noticed the baby girl kept coughing. The son told me that his sister was sick. What happened next was that the mother pulled out a giant bottle of coke and gave it to her daughter to soothe her cough. I was…shocked. This happened like 3 times. I didn’t want to say anything because i felt like it wasn’t my place, but eventually i asked if she needed water and i could buy her some if she didn’t have any. The mother just laughed and brushed it off and proceeded to give her daughter more coke. I couldn’t imagine doing such a thing. Now i know why i guess

Even though, you already got the same video on simpli, still a great choice. More people should know about Coca Colas crimes

U.S.: coke addiction 👃🏼 Mexico: coke addiction 🥤

I just want to clarify that consuming tap water here in Mexico was very common before the earthquake of 1985, there's even some old tv spots from the government explaining that you should boil the water to evaporatine the chlorine and to kill bacteria before you drink it. But after the earthquake, the only safe water to drink was the bottled one, that's how it became popular. Now a days, we still consume tap water but not for drinking, we use it for cooking when it's some boiling involved, just a little bit of the population use bottled water for cooking too because they feel the tap water is not safe.

It would be really helpful to have this video in Spanish! Most of the Mexican people I would like to share this video with don't understand English.

I used to drink coca cola and other soda drinks everyday and it made me so unhealthy and fat, but once I went to a doctor and they told me that I had a great risk getting health issues I stopped and started drinking water, and I pretty much stopped drinking anything with suger, I lost like 40 pounds and felt better then ever.

I live in the northern region and the situation is pretty similar, to say tap water tastes like pool water is an exaggeration but the low quality of the water is a fact. Whenever you boil water to brew coffee or tea you will notice a small sheath of white dust forming on the edges of the pan as water starts to evaporate. Small, diminutive crystals of whatever it is floating in tap water building up on water filters like a fine sand. I had frequent stomach problems that went away the moment I started drinking bottled water and exercising regularly, and I imagine many people are in a similar situation to what I went through.

About ten years ago when i was visiting family in mexico, one thing ill always remember is how my aunt was feeding her 4-5 year old child Coca-Cola...through a bottle. Burned into my mind. It is the fault of both corporations and the people themselves.

I just got back from spending two weeks in central Mexico and it is ridiculous how Coca-cola is so abundant there. I did not once see a water delivery truck, only trucks delivering more coca-cola.

The sad part is most of the population just ignores the problem, hopefully the next generations will change that

As a mexican, I am really sad that this is not a local issue. Unfortunately, since a couple of years ago, water shortages are way more common through the entire country, specially on big cities like Mexico City or Monterrey, where they have decided to cut all water supply due to the droughts or unefficient infrastructure. The worst part of it all is that Coca-Cola is given a pass for all the water cuts, and still gets to drain the already low quantities of water

Instantly subscribed! Thanks for bringing awareness to this topic. I had no idea. I stopped drinking soda a while ago, and only do so on special occasions now.

i was raised in mexico and this is the type of life style that i grew up with. ofc we always had really good water sources but my family was used to having coke with every meal, even early in the morning. coke free diets is something a lot of my family in mx do whenever they want to lose weight but sadly they later get caught on it, and every time i visit mexico i unconsciously start drinking more coke which don’t usually drink anymore that often. i may drink a can once a week or so but not as regularly as i used to. but honestly this type of problem is something we all know in mexico, we know is bad but it’s like an addiction.

I only drink normal water and sometimes milk. It may sound weird but I really like the plain water taste. It's the most refreshing thing. And I think I should stay with just water.

Wow, I thought I was bad for having one of the mini cans of Coke once or twice a week - imagine having to drink that much Coke every day! 😱 I feel so so blessed to have access to all the clean drinking water I want.

You nailed it. I was wondering why there's many diabetic patients in the Mexican people. Same in my own family. 3 Brothers buy cases of coke and Pepsi every week. Now all of them has Diabetes.

Congrats to the explosive growth of this channel! High quality content and well deserved🎉

This reminds me of that one town in the US where a similar thing happens, but instead of Coke it's Mountain Dew. Something about there being a factory nearby and it being by far the cheapest beverage in an impoverished small town.

This is the first video i watched from this channel, and i loved how you lay out and explained everything. It fits with what i like to watch as well, so I'm subscribing.😊keep up the good work

I live in San Cristobal del las Casas, water shortage is literally happen every week. In the centro you only got water from the water provider company SAPAM 4 days a week, and you will also see a lot people ordering water tank with truck called pipa, and each years is getting worse and worse. 😢

My mom’s part of the family is from Mexico and I can speak for a fact that water is not as accessible compared to the USA. When traveling there, we often purchase the water bottles from company owned by the infamous Coke cola company. Sadly, my family residing in Mexico certainly drinks large amounts of soft drinks, mainly Coke. The horrible side effects are clearly present in my family members. Coke and soft drinks are regularly consumed for parties and big events. Every town we visited had some sort of Coke cola advertisement. It’s literally everywhere there is no escape. We should never take for granted the accessibility of water in the USA. We are truly blessed.

I'm Mexican, my dad got diagnosed with prediabetes, did he choose water as a healthier option? No, he chose Diet Coke...

Thanks to my mom and dad they always encourage me and my siblings to drink more water than other drinks till now its been more than 5 years that i dont drink no sodas or sugary drinks only water and fresh fruit water 💪🏻

As Mexican that lived through most of the events of this I quite remember before around the early 2000s the health programs and before you could see more independent water purification companies not belonging to coca-cola... And now I can only recall one station on the top of my head and I live in the capital of my state that is in the south and te most humid and warm state.

I was watching this video while eating, and went to refill my bottle of water as it was empty. As I was doing this I realized how much I take it for granted and felt a deep and intense gratitude for having the best drinking water in the world.

God bless my mom's soul , growing up in mexico she never let my siblings and I drink soda ,occasionally would allow us to have little of none cola drinks..

I’m from Mexico too and I thought it was very common for all families outside the country to have a bottle of coke at the table for dinner every night… I’m impressed with how much coca cola has infiltrated our culture and society 😮

I'm not from Mexico, but I also started drinking more cola than I should, typically during playing video games. At some point after 1-2 years I stopped, because I knew it's unhealthy and it has a negative impact on panic attacks, which were only getting worse. Cola is nice and tasty, but I also value my well-being, so I barely touch cola anymore.

My ex’s mom was from Michoacán. She put coke in her coffee, she used it as medicine for headaches and sore throats, and she would even use it in parts of her Santa muerte rituals. Crazy stuff, it’s really intertwined with society there

Sugar is so addicting it's crazy. I was a Cola addict growing up and I always had Acid Reflux and Heartburn every day. I knew it wasn't healthy to be throwing up acidic bile every other month and it took 2 years before I managed to get off the addiction completely. Now I just have Cola during buffets or celebrations, and I try not to have Cola for more than 2-3 days (events back-to-back). My whole body gets out of wack everytime. I'll start craving more sugar, go crazy over chocolate and candies then gain 1-2 lbs before I go back to my usual diet.

Ive been to Mexico over a dozen times and the Mexican diet is an enigma. They prepare their foods with the freshest meats, vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices, etc. straight from the street markets and butcher shops, they refuse to use anything canned or processed, but then destroy all the benefits of that healthy diet lifestyle with all the Coke they consume. Its crazy.

What a beautifully written and researched video, I loved it.

I suspect if they had clean, fresh water, they wouldn't resort to coke. If their water tastes like poop, they'll choose coke. Most people would do the same, especially if living in an environment where long life is a rarity.

A lot of large American companies exploit small Latin communities

Thanks for posting this video!

This should be spread around the world, great video!

3:30 question: I chose the pool water with a ~USD80 3-filter system. Cheap, easy, sanitary. It doesn't just remove the chlorine taste, it tastes better than bottled water. I installed it for the water I use in food, while I planned to continue to drink spring water, but after I installed the filter I switched completely.

I realized I was drinking too much at the end of college, when I was drinking between 1 and 2 cans of Pepsi a day. 2 liters of coke a day sounds like constant headaches to me.

I’d thank you tremendously if you can add Spanish subtitles to show this to my Mexican family. Unfortunately this kind of content is not available in our country and language due to the inconvenience that this can cause to big companies like this.

You would be insane to tell me we don´t live in an actual distopia

Im white and lived in europe till a few years ago, and had soda maybe once every few months, but since I moved to Africa, the lack of access to 100% boxed juice, and other 'healthier' but sweet drinks, caused me to drink at least 2-3 sodas a WEEK! I think the access problem is similar here to what happens in Mexico. If you don't want water, there is almost nothing else.

Wow this is incredible... as a type 1 diabetic i try to only have a regular coke if my sugar is super low & even then a can is too much sugar

Im also from México, you cant understand how frustrating It Is that people literally NEED coca cola for at least their brakefast. Others literally drink cola instead of water. Worst of all, a lot of people genuinely believe that Zero / diet coke Is healthier...

Very nice content i love seeing someone actually making something of worth

The sugar is bad, but the amount of phosphoric acid in Coke is also quite devastating and should not be ignored.

I would pick the bottled water that is around the same price as the soda. Though I do get that availability is an issue.

I lived in Mexico my whole life and this is totally accurate, but its not also coca cola, beer companies like tecate and modelo use most of the clear water reserves to make beer, this is in the north side of the country

Dude ? Seriously your videos are too good. Can i know which sites or app you use to make this type of videos

This is not just a Oaxaca problem. This is a Mexico problem all together. The obsession of coke along with the diabetes and deaths from it is what the government was forced to act. That is why they had warning labels in Mexican Snacks nowadays. I feel it is better that way.

Well done guys! Love the way you tell that story in english and looking forward to see it go viral 😊

I’ve been living in Mexico almost two years now. What’s crazy is that water is WIDELY available here. Super cheap too. You can get a 1 liter bottle of water for $.50 cents and yet coke is widely drank! I have my own business here and there’s a guy here who drinks a 600ml coke every couple hours. I’ve even gotten used to drinking coke when I used to not drink it. Mexican coke is just so delicious, and it’s everywhere. I’ve had to try and cut back due to health problems. It’s just a cultural thing. From white Mexicans to indigenous Mexicans, from rich to poor, everyone here loves coke. It’s part of Mexico’s culture at this point. Super interesting video man!

I’m a Mexican American first gen and my family always has coke fully stocked the problem is ingrained culturally

This story is really just fascinating and horrifying at the same time, I hope some day, both the coca cola company as well as the corrupt politicians will see justice! Congratulations on your recent success btw, absolutely deserved!

Another classic from Simplicissimus, great content! 🎉❤

Last year I visited Uganda and there is a very similar situation going on. No matter how secluded the village you’re at was, you could always find Coca Cola ads on the walls of their buildings and could always get a coke. Furthermore they also own the biggest producer of bottled water in Uganda. If I remember right I think they even have about 16% diabetes in the under 19s.

There's even more to this story. At the beginning, mid 20th century, there were local sodas companies in Chiapas being the biggest one from Tuxtla Gutiérrez. People from Chiapas were very proud of their soda and would only drink that. Then came cocacola and wanted some market but people still refuse to buy that being the main reason the antigringo companies feeling they had at the time. The local soda would be mainly sold in restaurants in a glass bottle, that was way before plastic was used for that matter. People were supposed to drink the soda with their meals and then the waiters would collect the empty bottles and return them to the soda company trucks. Cocacola saw that the only way their would take over the market was if the local sodas disappeared so they sent people to buy those empty bottles directly from the restaurants and the employees saw that they could make extra money if they sold the bottles instead of returning them to the trucks. That company would slowly loose all their bottles and couldn't keep up with the demand of soda while struggling to get new suppliers of bottles and still make a reasonable profit of it. So they suffocated and quickly went bankrupt. Now guess who bought it? Yes cocacola, they even started selling their own products in the same bottles they had been collecting from those restaurants thus taking over the whole market of sodas and repeating the formula with other small soda companies from Chiapas. That's a story that not many people know even from the state and has vanished along the decades.

My grandma could literally not bear plain water, she’d only drink Coca Cola, she died of diabetes’ complications

Honestly, it would be pretty interesting if you could force Coca Cola Company to only sell Coke Zero in that region to see what health "effects" artificial sweeteners could have when you have such a large sample size that drinks up to 2 litres per day.

What would I pick - I’d pick the bottled water every time. In fact I do make that exact decision most days when I get lunch - they just need to be educated that coke should only be an occasional treat and isn’t good for you to drink all the time.

Thank you I appreciate the information

8:44 Fun fact here: "Chuj" in Polish means "Dick", i didn't expect to see that here and i spit my drink cos of it 💀

35% Diabetes WTF Stop that

As someone from Mexico I thought coca-cola was Mexican till I was 12 because of how common it is everywhere in every store, every taco stand, every relatives house and every restaurant but yeah its interesting to know why it is the way it is, on why we drink so much Coca Cola.

Amazing how we still don’t see soft drink companies the same way we see cigarette companies.

I lived in Mexico during my childhood, I have tried to explain this phenomena to my American friends for ever.