The Coca-Cola Co. (Atlanta, GA) opened a new research center in
Beijing on October 14 that will focus on producing beverages using
Chinese herbal ingredients and formulas.1 The Coca-Cola
Research Center for Chinese Medicine is located at and managed
cooperatively with the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences,
China’s national comprehensive institution for scientific research,
clinical medicine, and medical education on traditional Chinese
medicine.
Coca-Cola’s Beverage Institute for Health and Wellness, a research
group within the company that promotes research and developments in
health and nutrition, will establish an office at the Academy and work
with its researchers on collaborative projects.
“We want to help people live healthier lives,” said Wanda Rodwell,
director of public affairs at Coca-Cola in October (oral communication,
October 29, 2007). “This [center] will strengthen our innovation
pipeline of beverages that contribute to health and well-being.”
“By joining forces with the Coca-Cola Company, we will be much more
effective in bringing Chinese medicine to the world through packaged
beverages,” said Prof. Hongxin Cao, president of the China Academy of
Chinese Medical Sciences, according to a Coca-Cola press release.1
“The broad range of factors considered in Chinese medical sciences
provide for a more holistic view on health. Prevention is one of the
key guiding philosophies behind Chinese medical sciences. As a result,
Chinese medicine has theories and practices to help people live
healthier lives.”
According to Rodwell, Coca-Cola’s market research has suggested that
consumers are increasingly interested in healthy foods and beverages,
and this has generated some of the company’s recent research
initiatives into herbal ingredients. In addition to the new research
center, Coca-Cola announced earlier this year that it and Cargill have
been collaboratively developing a sweetener from the herb stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) for future use in food and beverage products.2
“We have the ability to offer beverages that contribute to health
and well-being, and that’s something that consumers say that they
want,” Rodwell explained. “One of the reasons we’re looking into stevia
is because consumers say they want natural, no-calorie sweeteners, and
we’re trying to bring that to them as quickly as we can.”
Rodwell stated that the center’s initial research and development
plans have not yet been fully formed, but the institute expects that
such information should be available within the next few months. More
information about the Beverage Institute of Health and Wellness is
available at the website http://www.beverageinstitute.org/.
An article concerning Coca-Cola’s work developing a stevia-based
sweetener was published in the October issue of HerbalEGram, available here.3
—Courtney Cavaliere
References
1Coca-Cola Research Center for Chinese Medicine opens in Beijing [press release]. Beijing, China: Coca-Cola; October 14, 2007.
2Etter L, McKay B. Coke, Cargill aim for a shake-up in sweeteners. Wall Street Journal. May 31, 2007;A1.
3Cavaliere C. Coca-Cola and Cargill developing new natural sweetener from stevia. HerbalEGram, October 2007;4(9). Available at: http://abc.herbalgram.org/site/PageServer?pagename=04_10_Stevia_Coke&autologin=true&JServSessionIdr009=gabnu60wn3.app13a. Accessed November 2, 2007. |