Coca-Cola is known universally for its iconic red-colored branding, from label to cap. However, during spring time, some Coke bottles will be sealed not with the well-known red caps, but instead with yellow ones.
And it’s done by Coke for a genuine reason — that reason being Passover.
What does Passover have to do with Coca-Cola?
According to the New York Post, the yellow cap on a Coke bottle means that the drink “is kosher for Passover, a Jewish holiday in which certain foods and ingredients are not consumed in observance of religious restrictions.”
Specifically, the distinct cap signifies that the soda is made from pure sugar, rather than from corn syrup, which is considered not kosher during Passover only, per People.
As reported by Business Insider, some Jewish organizations work with food companies to certify that their products meet kosher standards, as the groups use guidelines penned from the Torah and established through Jewish law.
How a rabbi changed Coke’s ingredients
The Coca-Cola Company didn’t always have this inclusion in place.
Per The Jerusalem Post, in the early 1930s, Rabbi Tuvia Geffen, who resided in the state of Coke’s founding, Georgia, learned from his daughter — who at the time was majoring in food science — that the popular soda contained products that were deemed not kosher.
Once discovered, Rabbi Geffen reached out to the head of Coca-Cola’s legal affairs, Harold Hirsch, to declare the soda did not follow kosher standards.
Hirsch shared the information with Coca-Cola founder and owner Asa Candler, who agreed the discovery was a concern.
The owner then decided to meet with Rabbi Geffen, eventually agreeing to remove the non-kosher ingredients for acceptable substitutions, thus allowing Coca-Cola to be considered and pronounced kosher by Rabbi Geffen.
What is considered kosher for Passover?
The Jewish community celebrates Passover this year between April 22 to April 30, and during that time period, they avoid eating foods labeled as chametz, or foods that, according to an article by Business Insider, contain leavening ingredients made from:
- Wheat.
- Rye.
- Barley.
- Oats.
- Spelt.
Additionally, Ashkenazi-descended Jews, who make up the majority of the Jewish population, avoid grains and legumes for the holiday. Because of these regulations, corn — which is used to make to corn syrup for Coke — is not consumed during the holiday, per the New York Post.