People Are Just Discovering the Big Difference Between American and European Fanta, and They Can't Believe It
If you’ve ever looked for your favorite bottled beverage while traveling outside of the country, it's likely that you've noticed major differences in the look and overall taste of said beverage. A lot comes into play when a brand’s product is sold around the world, and variations in how that product is made exist entirely because of cultural preferences.
For example, as depicted in a recently viral Reddit image, when an orange Fanta soda from Italy is poured into a glass cup, it looks drastically different from the fluorescent orange we're used to seeing here in the States. The photo — which was posted to the r/MildlyIntersting subreddit — instantly saw a huge influx of attention, with users from around the world commenting their experience with the carbonated drink phenomenon.
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“It varies by country,” noted one user from the UK. “In the UK, it's very yellow. In many countries it's orange.” Another user who traveled to Spain pointed out how in their experience, Fanta in Spain was so delicious that they have “hated it here (in the States) ever since." A separate user, who noted that the drink was originated in Germany then chimed in to say that "as a German: I wish it tasted like it does in Spain.” Yes, it's that serious apparently.
If you’re wondering what the original Fanta from Germany was like, one user offered up a very interesting history lesson. "It was originally made with whey and apple scraps in WW2,” they said. "There was a relaunch some years ago, it tasted really good in my opinion.”
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If you look at the ingredients in the Fanta Orange version that's sold exclusively in England as well as the Italian Fanta, one of the main differences from the American version is the inclusion of orange juice from concentrate. Each version of the popular soda from across the pond differs largely from the American version with the ingredients being limited to carbonated water, sugar, orange juice from concentrate, citrus fruit from concentrate, citric acid, carrot and pumpkin vegetable extracts, sweeteners, preservatives and natural orange flavorings.
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Here in the States, however, Fanta contains carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and less than 2-percent of citric acid, natural flavors, sodium benzoate, modified food starch, glycerol ester of rosin and yellow 6 and red 40. Talk about a list of mystery ingredients, huh? And when it comes to sugar, American Fanta has 73 grams per 2-liter bottle as compared to the 59 grams in Italian Fanta and 22.5 grams in the UK version.
Honestly though, it makes sense that our version of Fanta would vary drastically from that of its European counterparts. Between the European restrictions on the addition of certain chemicals allowed in food and drinks and the regional taste preferences of cultures, there’s a reason why American soda has a reputation for being too sweet. Luckily, there are changes on the horizon, with American brands opting for sugarless alternatives to our favorite sodas, effectively going against the grain of what soda in America actually is.
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