TallowTallow
Coca-Cola Classic

Classic

0Avoid

Contaminants · 18

1 at/over limit
From lab tests of this product’s family
Coca-Cola Classic (US, high fructose corn syrup)
This product wasn’t tested · results may differ

In the family’s tests: measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP)10.7 ppbof 6 ppb
Over the limit — 1.8×US EPA drinking-water MCL, 40 CFR 141.61(c) — 0.006 mg/L. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published DEHP number; the EU food-contact limit is looser (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442: SML 0.6 mg/kg, plus the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit with DBP/BBP/DIBP).
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Bpf7.23 ppbof 10 ppb
72% of the limitNot on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), and Reg. 2024/3190 restricts hazardous bisphenols; no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Dimethylphthalate3.9 ppbof 10 ppb
39% of the limitDMP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Dibutyl Phthalate12.7 ppbof 120 ppb
11% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DBP SML 0.12 mg/kg (cut from 0.3). Also inside the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit (DBP x5).
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Di (2-ethylhexyl) Terephthalate0.0303 ppmof 60 ppm
<1% of the limitEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHT (FCM 798) SML 60 mg/kg, group restriction with DINCH. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Benzylbutyl PhthalateNDof 6 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — BBP SML 6 mg/kg (cut from 30). Also inside the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit (BBP x0.1 = 6 mg/kg alone).
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Bisphenol a (BPA)NDof 1 ppb
Not detectedEU Reg. (EU) 2024/3190 — BPA banned in food-contact materials from 20 Jan 2025 (old 0.05 mg/kg SML repealed); the residual exemptions require NO detectable migration at a 1 ug/kg detection limit. 1 ppb is therefore the tightest published number.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
BPS (Bisphenol s)NDof 50 ppb
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — BPS (4,4'-sulphonyldiphenol) SML 0.05 mg/kg; BfR applies the same 0.05 mg/kg.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Di-n-octyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDNOP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Dicyclohexyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDCHP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Diethylhexyl AdipateNDof 18 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DEHA (FCM 207) SML 18 mg/kg.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
DiethylphthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDEP is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Dihexyl PhthalateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDNHP (di-n-hexyl phthalate, EU Repr. 1B) is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Diisobutyl PhthalateNDof 150 ppb
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 2023/1442 group restriction — DBP x5 + DIBP x4 + BBP x0.1 + DEHP <= 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalents, so DIBP alone may not exceed 0.15 mg/kg. DIBP is not itself an authorised substance.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Diisodecyl AdipateNDof 10 ppb
Not detectedDIDA (diisodecyl adipate) is not on the EU Union list of substances authorised in food-contact plastics (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 Annex I), so no migration is permitted. Set at 0.01 mg/kg, the detection limit 10/2011 uses for not-detectable (ND) restrictions.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Diisodecyl PhthalateNDof 1.8 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DINP+DIDP group SML 1.8 mg/kg (sum). Applied to each alone.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Diisononyl 1,2-cyclohexanedicarboxylic AcidNDof 60 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 — DINCH (FCM 775) group restriction with DEHT, 60 mg/kg. No tighter published limit exists (EFSA TDI 1 mg/kg bw/day).
Measured in: Coke Original Taste
Diisononyl ortho PhthalateNDof 1.8 ppm
Not detectedEU food-contact plastics, Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442 — DINP+DIDP group SML 1.8 mg/kg (sum). Applied to each alone.
Measured in: Coke Original Taste

Ingredients · 6

GoodCautionAvoid

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Common questions

Is Coca-Cola Classic healthy?

Coca-Cola Classic scores 0/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in, plus lab results from its product family, Coca-Cola Classic (US, high fructose corn syrup). It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

What is in Coca-Cola Classic?

Coca-Cola Classic lists 6 ingredients, starting with Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid and Natural Flavors. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

Does Coca-Cola Classic contain seed oils?

No. Nothing in Coca-Cola Classic’s ingredient list matches a seed oil — canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, rice bran or peanut oil, or an unspecified "vegetable oil".

How processed is Coca-Cola Classic?

Coca-Cola Classic is NOVA group 4: ultra-processed. That is the top of the scale and the classification the score penalises most heavily.

How does Coca-Cola Classic compare to other soda & soft drinks?

At 0/100 Coca-Cola Classic scores worse than most soda & soft drinks we have scored. A higher-scoring option in soda & soft drinks is poppi Prebiotic Soda Cherry Limeade at 92/100.

Is Coca-Cola Classic organic?

Coca-Cola Classic is not certified organic in our data.

Has Coca-Cola Classic been lab tested?

Not this product itself. It shares a base recipe (US cola: carbonated water, HFCS, caramel color, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, caffeine; incl. cherry/vanilla flavour variants; no cocoa, rice, nut or protein) with the other products in its family, Coca-Cola Classic (US, high fructose corn syrup), and 4 products in its family have been lab tested. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Those results are in the family's Contaminants section above; its own results may differ.

Does Coca-Cola Classic contain phthalates?

Coca-Cola Classic itself has not been tested for phthalates, but other products in its family, which share its base recipe, have: a lab detected DEHP at 10.7 ppb against a 6 ppb limit in Coke Original Taste, dibutyl phthalate at 12.7 ppb against a 120 ppb limit in Coke Original Taste and dimethylphthalate at 3.9 ppb against a 10 ppb limit in Coke Original Taste. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Its own results may differ.

Full methodology: how we score products.

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