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Coca-Cola/Controversies

Coca-Cola controversies

Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.

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  1. 2019Hungary fines Coca-Cola over same-sex-couple advertising
  2. 2009Proposed Huiyuan acquisition blocked
  3. 1985New Coke consumer backlash

  1. 2019

    Hungary fines Coca-Cola over same-sex-couple advertising

    Fine or penalty

    In 2019, Hungarian media reported that Coca-Cola Hungary was fined 500,000 Hungarian forint over adverts featuring same-sex couples, following alleged violations of advertising laws. Officials also ordered the company to cease advertising they said was detrimental to the development of children and minors. The reports described the penalty and the order as responses to the advertisements, which depicted same-sex couples. The event concerned the company's advertising in Hungary and the authorities' stated grounds of advertising-law violations and the claimed effect on minors.

    Source excerpt

    • Hungarian media reports that the company has now been issued a fine over the adverts, because of alleged violations of the country’s advertising laws.
    • that the company has been fined 500,000 Hungarian Forint, which is equivalent to £1,300.24.hu reports
    • In August, Coca-Cola Hungary had said: “We believe that we are all equal, regardless of nationality, religion, gender, age, ethnic origin, language, hobbies, or viewpoints. We believe that both heterosexuals and homosexuals have the right to love the people they love.
    Source

  2. 2009

    Proposed Huiyuan acquisition blocked

    The Coca-Cola Company’s proposed acquisition of Chinese juice company Huiyuan was prohibited by China’s Ministry of Commerce under the country’s antimonopoly framework. The decision was a regulatory dispute rather than a finding of misconduct by the Coca-Cola consumer brand.

    Source

  3. 1985

    New Coke consumer backlash

    The reformulation was not a criminal or regulatory scandal, but it became a major reputational crisis when consumers protested the disappearance of the original taste. The company reversed course within months. The company replaced the established Coca-Cola formula with a reformulated product. Strong consumer opposition led to the return of the original formula under the Coca-Cola Classic name.

    Source