Soda Companies Fund 96 Health Groups In the U.S.

Soda is laden with sugar and is often full of empty calories that are not only bad for one’s teeth but contribute to obesity. The average can of soda contains up to 9 teaspoons of sugar (35g, or over 1.5oz), nearly double the recommended 19g/0.67oz of sugar a day for a 5-year-old. Additionally, being refined sugar, it contains little nutritional benefit and eventually develops into fat. Governments have been pressured to take action on soda companies to be more responsible in manufacturing their drinks. Some countries have introduced a tax on soda to force parents to think twice about the drinks they give to their kids.

Recent revelations have unearthed disturbing levels of closeness in ties shared between governments, health organizations and soda companies, namely Pepsi and Coca-Cola. A study by Boston University School of Medicine, printed in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, found that bodies such as the American Diabetes Association, the National Institute of Health, the American Red Cross, the Academy of Nutrition of Dietetics and more than 90 others accept sponsorship from Coca-Cola, PepsiCo or both. The author of the study, Daniel Aaron said: “To see all these organizations [taking money] is shocking and surprising, I do not think companies have a legal duty to protect people’s health, but I believe that these groups do.” The findings show Pepsi sponsored 14% of these organizations, but Coca-Cola funded 99%! The links are thought to be an underestimate too, as PepsiCo is notorious for covering up their sponsorship details, as opposed to the more transparent Coca-Cola. A sweet tooth is easy to exploit as well as tax, possibly explaining why governments have cozied up to these companies so much.

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