The US has much more relaxed competition laws compared to the European Union. This has led to a small number of companies being able to buyout many of their competitors, leaving near monopolies in some industries. Oxfam produced a graphic back in 2017 showcasing how much power some of these companies have. These 11 companies dominate huge swathes of the food industry.
The widening circle of influence of the world’s biggest consumer brands owned by 11 corporations:
— Lloyd Mathias (@LloydMathias) September 5, 2019
Nestle, P&G, Unilever, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kellogg’s, Mars, Mondelez, Kraft-Heinz, J&J and Gen Mills. pic.twitter.com/xiw7P3YRKo
Coca Cola is the most well known soft drink in the world but is one of these companies. According to the Coca Cola website, the company owns 200 brands. These includes drinks like Powerade, Innocent smoothies, and Fanta.
Stating the obvious, but Coca Cola does not own Pepsi. The two seem like they have been forever locked in a perpetual war to come out on top. At present, Coca Cola is worth $257 billion while Pepsi is worth some $246 billion.
It's madness that Coca Cola is sponsoring the global climate negotiation COP27, that the fossil fuel industry was the largest delegate last year and might be this year, and that celebrities and participants fly in on private jets - the height of climate injustice. #banprivatejets
— Peter Kalmus (@ClimateHuman) October 27, 2022
What about Dr Pepper?
Strangely, Dr Pepper is only owned by Coca Cola in its European and South Korean markets. Everywhere else it is sold is managed by the Keurig Dr Pepper company. This company also owns the well known soft drink 7up. Despite being seperate, both Pepsico and Coca Cola have played roles in the bottling and distrivution of Dr Pepper over the years.
On its website Pepsi says it owns 21 brands. This includes items like Tropicana and Lipton.
