Posts Tagged ‘Coca-Cola’
Posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2015 by Michele Simon
New Report from Eat Drink Politics Exposes Conflicts of Interest in Australian Dietitians Group
Just as most western nations do, Australia suffers significantly from diet-related chronic diseases. Heart disease is the leading cause of death, killing one Australian every 12 minutes. Diabetes is also a serious health concern, with rising rates in recent years, according to the government.
The 2013 report, “And Now a Word from Our Sponsors,” also from Eat Drink Politics, found that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in the United States has a serious credibility problem due to its myriad conflicts with the junk food industry. Sadly, a very similar situation exists within Australia’s dietetic profession, led by the Dietitians Association of Australia. Among the most troubling findings of the new report from Eat Drink Politics:
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Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Industry Tactics, Public Health | Tagged: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Big Food, child nutrition, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Nestle, PepsiCo | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (7) |
Posted on Wednesday, February 26th, 2014 by Michele Simon
Ballot measure could become first sugary drink tax in California
Earlier this month, lawmakers in San Francisco introduced a bill that would tax sugary beverages at two cents per ounce, thereby setting off the latest big fight with Big Soda. The estimated $31 million in annual revenue would go to local health programs. Voters will decide the measure’s fate in November, with a two-thirds majority being required to pass.
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Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Industry Tactics, Public Health | Tagged: Big Food, Big Soda, Coca-Cola, junk food, PepsiCo, soda, soda taxes, soft drinks, trade groups | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (3) |
Posted on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013 by Michele Simon
“This is the largest amount of money ever concealed in an election,” says Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, as tobacco-style tactics by likes of PepsiCo and Nestle are revealed in Washington State’s lawsuit against the Grocery Manufacturers Association over GMO labeling fight.
Just a few weeks ago, attorneys for the No on 522 campaign were feeling rather smug when a lawsuit filed against them by a group called “Moms for Labeling” was dismissed. As I wrote last week, consumer class action attorney Knoll Lowney sued the No on 522 and the Washington DC-based Grocery Manufactures Association (lobbyists for major food corporations) for not disclosing the donors behind GMA’s $7 million-plus donation to stop I-522, which would require genetically-engineered foods to be labeled. The judge threw out that case on a technicality.
But then, Big Food’s arrogance got the best of them.
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Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Food Safety, Industry Tactics | Tagged: Big Food, California Prop 37, Coca-Cola, GMO labeling, GMOs, Grocery Manufacturers Association, I-522, junk food, PepsiCo | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (10) |
Posted on Monday, October 7th, 2013 by Michele Simon
McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, former President Bill Clinton, and Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Dr. Howell Wechsler.
The headlines certainly sounded impressive: “McDonald’s to Scrap Soda From ‘Happy Meal’ Ads” and “McDonald’s Ditches Soda In Happy Meal Menus.” In a grandiose announcement from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (an offshoot of the Clinton Foundation), McDonald’s proved once again that it’s not only the world’s fast-food leader, but also the king of spin. This time, Bill Clinton himself was on hand for the nifty photo op with McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson at the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting. Despite the seal of approval from the (mostly vegan) former president, I’ve learned to approach these sorts promises from McDonald’s with skepticism.
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Posted in Big Food, Child Nutrition, Industry Tactics, Marketing to Children, Public Health | Tagged: CFBAI, child nutrition, childhood obesity, Coca-Cola, Corporate Accountability International, McDonald's, public relations, voluntary self-regulation | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (4) |
Posted on Sunday, July 28th, 2013 by Michele Simon
In January, I released a report called, And Now a Word from Our Sponsors: Are America’s Nutrition Professionals in the Pocket of Big Food? The report continues to receive media attention, in part due to a Change.org petition asking the Academy to clean up its act. Be sure to sign on. Also, please support Dietitians for Professional Integrity, a new group of dedicated registered dietitians working to change the Academy’s sponsorship policies.
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Posted in Big Food, Industry Tactics, Marketing to Children, Public Health | Tagged: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Big Food, co-opting science, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, PepsiCo, trade groups | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (1) |
Posted on Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 by Michele Simon
Last month, the International Food Information Council Foundation released the third edition of its report: Food Biotechnology: A Communicator’s Guide to Improving Understanding. What sounds like a reasonable and helpful document is in fact the product of a well-oiled PR machine whose board of trustees includes executives from such food giants such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, and Mars. In response to such tactics, I have authored a new report for Center for Food Safety that exposes the well-funded organizations and highly-sophisticated public relations strategies increasingly deployed to defend the food industry. Read rest at Center for Food Safety…
Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Industry Tactics, Public Health | Tagged: Coca-Cola, front groups, Kraft, lobbying, Nestle, public relations | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (1) |
Posted on Monday, May 6th, 2013 by Michele Simon
Last week, Monster Beverage filed an unusual lawsuit against the San Francisco City Attorney’s office to stop an attempt to place restrictions on the company’s highly caffeinated and potentially harmful products aimed at youth. This aggressive move is a form of backlash against using the legal system to hold the food and beverage industry’s accountable for deceptive marketing practices.
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Posted in Big Food, Child Nutrition, Industry Tactics, Marketing to Children | Tagged: advertising regulation, child nutrition, Chobani, Coca-Cola, ConAgra, deceptive health claims, FDA, Frito-Lay, General Mills, GMOs, Happy Meals, law, litigation, natural, PepsiCo, targeted marketing, vitaminwater, Whole Foods | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (14) |
Posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2013 by Michele Simon
My mother, Florence Peloquin, still lives in the same (wonderful) apartment where I grew up in New York City in Peter Cooper Village. She sent me the following recent email exchange with the office of her local representative, Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick, in response to this New York Times article exposing Coke and Pepsi political donations. (See if you can spot the resemblance.)
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Posted in Big Food, Food Policy, Industry Tactics, Public Health | Tagged: Coca-Cola, lobbying, PepsiCo | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (0) |
Posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2013 by Michele Simon
McDonald's booth at Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics expo promoting smoothies
In the report I recently released, (covered by the New York Times) “And Now a Word from Our Sponsors,” I described the various ways the food industry influences the largest trade group of nutrition professionals: the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. While other corporations such as Coca-Cola play a more prominent role by being an “Academy Partner,” McDonald’s engaged in its trademark health-washing at the Academy’s annual meeting last fall.
Read rest at Corporate Accountability International…
Posted in Big Food, Child Nutrition, Food Policy, Industry Tactics, Public Health | Tagged: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, co-opting science, Coca-Cola, deceptive health claims, nutrition labeling, trade groups | Michele on Google+ | View/Add Comments (3) |
