Lucky for us, modern commercial food production is governed by laws on food safety and regulations ensuring fair trade practices. For the most part. But it wasn't always so, and some iconic brands have sad or cutthroat origin stories. You know John Pemberton developed Coca-Cola and named it after its ingredients, but did you know he started using cocaine to treat his own morphine addiction? Okra is not native to the US, and was smuggled in. Fanta was developed during World War II when Germany lost their American suppliers and had to use garbage from local food processors to made soda. The story of the first pink lemonade is either cute or gross, depending on which story you believe. Several companies blatantly ripped off the competition and won through the magic of marketing, leaving the originals in the dust. Read the more nefarious (and sometimes gruesome) parts of the origin stories of 12 familiar foods at The Takeout.
(Image credit: angrit)
