Coca-Cola begins corporate restructuring with 75 layoffs

Food Dive reported the development on 2026-01-05. Future cuts at the beverage giant are expected to occur in phases during the coming months.

The report places the news in a wider commercial context. Coca-Cola is planning layoffs in 2026 as part of a restructuring initiative, beginning with 75 workers at its corporate headquarters. Outgoing CEO James Quincey hinted at a restructuring plan during an October earnings call. He said Coca-Cola needed to do more to drive revenue growth despite its leading position in the marketplace.

For the food sector, the practical implications extend beyond the immediate announcement. The corporate layoffs come as Coca-Cola is adapting to changing consumer tastes around sugary drinks and consuming more waters and sports drinks. The company is also preparing to transition to a new CEO in March.

Attention now turns to how companies, customers and regulators respond. “We've got to stay focused on what it is we need to do to win next year and the year after and the year after that, independent of how well we've done in the past,” Quincey said at a conference in December. Even as Coca-Cola prepares for job cuts, the Sprite and Fairlife maker saw its net revenue grow 5% to $12.5 billion in its third quarter.