Customer Shares a Photo Comparing American and European Fanta — People Instantly Spotted a Big Issue

Many people might not be aware of the reality of the trade market, where product quality varies across countries. For instance, Cool Ranch Doritos, a popular snack in the U.S, is called ‘Cool American’ in the Netherlands, while Mexico requires certain food items to show the excess of unhealthy ingredients, per BoredPanda. A Reddit user (u/dannybluey) noticed a conspicuous difference between two Fanta bottles and shared it on the internet. The comparison was done between American and European Fanta, revealing what consumers prefer in their respective countries, and it’s disconcerting. 

In the viral post with 49,000 votes, the customer shared a picture of two Fanta bottles, each sold in the American and European markets. The one on the left appeared more characteristic of the Fanta sold in most nations. The carbonated drink had a bright orange color with a differently shaped bottle with a green cap. While the European Fanta was almost foreign to American consumers, as it displayed a light yellow color, resembling orange juice, with an orange cap. Both drinks were labeled as orange flavored despite the contrasting appearances.

Intrigued, several people discussed the strange occurrence in the comment. One person (u/Only-here-for-sound) pointed out, “I wonder about the taste. One looks like orange soda, and the other looks like orange juice.” While another (u/jorsiem) responded, “One tastes like carbonated orange juice, the other one like carbonated sugar water with artificial orange flavoring. I've had both (French Orangina is better than Fanta).” The Fanta bottles sparked a debate among shoppers based on the sugar content and the type of sweetener used. “It is also worth noting, though, that the dye used in American Fanta is illegal in Europe,” said u/trainofwhat. “The European one is so much better. It was my soda choice anytime during my time in Europe,” hailed u/archi3721. 

Someone (u/Duh-Space-Pope) called attention to the claims in the packaging label. The American Fanta stated, “100% Natural Flavors,” while the European drink label said, “Made with Orange Juice.” However, a fellow customer (u/brocoli_funky) spat facts. “I think this is because in Europe you can't have a sticker with '100%' written on it unless it's actually 100% juice.” The commenters even talked about other drinks like Coca-Cola and how its taste varies across the globe.

“In the UK, I ordered some Coca-Cola with a takeaway, and it was Canadian Coke. No idea how they got their hands on it, but it was delicious and 350ml instead of 330ml,” recalled u/00DEADBEEF. Likewise, u/Own_Communication827 explained they preferred the European Cola drink even though it had similar amounts of sugar to the American version. “It tastes much closer to an Italian soda type thing. I don't like full sugar cola though, so the more "natural" euro one is just closer to diet soda,” the comment read. Popular wellness creator, @joey_wellness, weighed in on the healthy aspects of the American and EU Fanta drinks. 

A study published in the Journal of International Economics in ScienceDirect suggests that differences in the quality of products that countries produce and export greatly affect the direction of international trade. An official report by the European Parliament stated that EU products are “sometimes offered in different countries under the same brand name, but with a different product formulation.” Hence, similar products are sold at altered qualities depending on the country and catering to the consumers’ preferences.