Do You Really Think Drinking That Soda is Good for You?

I stoped drinking soda about twelve years ago because I realized I did not need to drink that much of it and it also one of the contributors to my thirty-five pound weight gain at that time.  I used to drink Coca-Cola and their products like Sprite and Cherry Coke.  I will admit they tased great to me at that time and thought it was not that bad for me but when you look at the ingredients and find out how it is not that healthy you change your tune.  I know I did.  When doing the research for this blog I found that my ex favorite is a company that has had some issues in the past with ethics.

In 2015 Coca-Cola was hit with criticism over a New York Times article that reported they have been misleading consumers about obesity and promoting the idea that the health crisis is driven by lack of expertise and not diet. (Dokoupil, 2015) Public health experts accused the company of trying to confused people with science that was not true.  Coca-Cola funded the Global Energy Balance Network that came up with that theory to also sell consumers on the pursuit of “energy balance.”  The idea is to not fixate on calories but invites weight-conscious people to focus on more exercise and eat what they want.   Mixify was launch in partnership with Pepsi, Dr. Peppter and Coca-Cola to pitch the idea to kids.  The site was made to help kids with their weight issues and suggest kids to mix lazy days with something light and follow up sweaty workouts with whatever they were craving.  If the kids followed the theory then they will feel great. They funded a large amount of research to counter the idea that sodas are not healthy.  “Countries such as Mexico, Chile, and Brazil have pushed back against sugary sodas legislatively, enacting sugary drink taxes and limiting marketing and advertising directly to kids.”  (Reiley, 2019) The best alternative Coca-Cola can do is change their advertising not just in America but around the world and tell the truth to people that their drinks are high in sugar and if consumed in a large amount, not watching what you eat and not having an ample amount of physical activity you can gain weight and possibly have other medical conditions that come with obesity.  

Reference:

Dokoupil, T. (2015, August 11). Coca-Cola's misleading anti-obesity campaign also targets kids. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/coca-colas-misleading-anti-obesity-campaign-also-targets-kids

Reiley, L. (2019, December 18). Coca-Cola internal documents reveal efforts to sell to teens, despite obesity crisis. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/12/18/coca-cola-internal-documents-reveal-efforts-sell-teens-despite-obesity-crisis/