These Coca-Cola bottles, adorned with yellow caps, are specifically produced for the Jewish Passover. If you're a devoted Coca-Cola consumer, make sure to relish these bottles before they vanish in the upcoming spring.
During the Passover observance, Jews abstain from consuming leavened foods or foods with leavening ingredients.
The yellow-capped Coca-Cola bottles indicate that the soda is kosher and suitable for consumption on Passover Day. This soda is crafted using the original sucrose formula of Coke instead of corn syrup.
Throughout the year, Jewish organizations, such as the Orthodox Union, collaborate with companies to ensure their products align with the kosher standards outlined in the Torah and Jewish laws.
Once a product meets these criteria, it receives kosher certification, which is displayed on the packaging.
On Passover, Jews abstain from consuming foods categorized as chametz—foods that are leavened or incorporate leavening ingredients like barley, rye, oats, wheat, or spelled. Additionally, Eastern European Jews of Ashkenazi refrain from consuming kitniyot, including legumes and other grains like corn.
Previously, Coca-Cola was actually made from sucrose (made from cane or beet sugar) instead of high-fructose corn syrup. However, it later changed its formulas and became no longer suitable for Passover.
In 1935, Jewish clergyman Rabbi Tuvia Geffen, collaborated with the company to reinstate a limited run of the original recipe during the Passover period, allowing Jews observing to continue enjoying it.
Today, the soda bottle designed for Passover is distinguishable by its yellow cap.
Appreciation for corn syrup-free Coke isn't limited to just the sensible Jewish community. Purists, foodies, and hipsters can all differentiate between the two varieties of beverages. Many eagerly wait for a year to purchase the yellow-capped Coke bottles, considering them superior with the original sweetener.