New research has revealed a collusion between the world’s leading producer of sugar-sweetened beverages, Coca-Cola and US public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to alter health campaigns.
The paper, published by ‘The Milbank Quarterly’ journal includes excerpts from emails and suggests that current and former Coca-Cola staff tried to influence the CDC by attempting to frame the debate around whether sugar-sweetened beverages play a role in obesity, as well as lobbying policy-makers, including the World Health Organization (WHO).
The main concern is that the soda company tried to downplay how its soda products are leading sources of added sugar in diet.
The research features yet another revelation that Coca-Cola influences health campaigns by funding related organizations.
An example of this is the nonprofit International Life Sciences Institute organization, that Coca-Cola funded to encourage an emphasis on links between exercise and obesity over links between diet and obesity.
CDC was similarly funded by the company in its CDC Foundation. Coca-Cola is reported to have donated $1 million, therefore violating the foundation’s ethics that prohibit it from accepting gifts that could compromise its integrity.
“Such strategies may complement traditional lobbying activities, such as blocking taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages,” reads the Milbank report.
In its defense, Coca-Cola spokesman Ben Sheidler said the emails go back a number of years and pre-date a commitment the company made in 2015 to disclose on its website its funding for scientific research and partnerships, which is updated every six months.
He added that Coca-Cola is focused on reducing sugar in its drinks and promoting more beverage options with less or no sugar, in support of WHO’s recommendation that people limited added sugars to 10 percent of their daily caloric intake.