As we come to the end of the Australian National Diabetes Week there are so many questions in relation to the way that companies are marketing their products.

“Open Happiness” is a very powerful statement. Coca Cola want you to believe that by using their products you will be happy, cool, socially accepted and also good looking. This however can not be further from the truth.

In reality if people consume these products they end up being unhappy because their weight skyrockets and then the diseases set in. With a can of Coke packing 10 teaspoons of sugar you are almost guaranteed that if you keep consuming these drinks you will be obese and sick. Type 2 diabetes is on an exponential increase. Surely Coca Cola would have to take at least some of the blame.

This company in a calculated move has chosen to portray itself as part the solution to the obesity problem. Can you believe it?

Diabetes Australia made available a press release a few weeks ago. It is mind numbing what Coca Cola is doing. Once you read this press release you will never look at the company in the same way again. We believe that this could be another tobacco industry in the making. The reality is that their products are addictive, harmful to health and they market them in a way that makes people think that it is cool to use them. Does that sound familiar?

Below is a copy of the press release:

You can read it directly from the Diabetes Australia web site by following this link

Media release
Under embargo until Wednesday 11 September 2013

Health groups throw down challenge to Coca Cola: stop weight-washing and start taking meaningful action on obesity

Peak health and community organisations have written today to senior leaders in Coca- Cola‟s Australian and New Zealand operations calling for the company to stop weight- washing the issue of obesity with expensive advertising, and instead take practical steps to address the core drivers of weight gain.

The group has outlined six key measures that Coca-Cola could implement if it was serious about reducing obesity levels in Australia and New Zealand:

  1. reduce the sugar content of high-kilojoule beverages, such as Coke, Fanta and Sprite;
  2. stop marketing high-kilojoule beverages to children and young people, including through high-rating TV programs and social media;
  3. stop sponsoring sports clubs and events, especially children‟s sports;
  4. stop the sale of high-kilojoule beverages in all schools and other children‟s settings;
  5. stop promoting the message that high-kilojoule beverages are part of a healthy,
  6. balanced diet.
  7. support physical activity initiatives, but without Coca-Cola or other high-kilojoule
  8. beverage branding.

Cancer Council Victoria, Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society, Diabetes Australia, Heart Foundation Victoria, Australian Dental Association, Physical Activity Australia, Nutrition Australia, The Parents‟ Jury, a Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health from the University of Sydney, and the Obesity Policy Coalition (which includes Diabetes Australia – Victoria and the WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University) are all signatories to the letter.

“Coca-Cola has bombarded the public with ads suggesting they are not only committed to helping tackle obesity, but that they are part of the solution,” said Jane Martin, Executive Manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition.

“If it really wanted to take responsibility and contribute to a reduction in obesity levels in Australia, the company would follow-through with our recommendations and not invest countless dollars in over-the-top marketing campaigns.”

The Coca-Cola campaign included a TV commercial and large-scale press ads in major metropolitan newspapers.

“One can of Coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar so it‟s no surprise they are sugar-coating their attempt to tackle obesity,” said Ms Martin.

“With one in four Australian children overweight or obese, Coca-Cola‟s targeting of children and young people through advertising and the sponsorship of sports clubs and events is completely inappropriate.

“The 2012 „Share a Coke‟ campaign blatantly sought to increase Coke consumption amongst young people. With these sorts of campaigns Coca-Cola has consistently shown to have very little regard for the health of Australians, particularly teens,” said Ms Martin.

The many negative effects of sugary drink consumption on children include lower intakes of calcium and protein and increased risk of tooth decay, with a clear link between drinking soft drinks regularly and weight gain and obesity for adults as well as children.

“Any serious attempt to reduce obesity in our children will require reducing sugary drink consumption, a point that is completely absent from the Coca-Cola initiatives,” adds Anna Peeters, President of the Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society.

The long term health risks of obesity include type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

“Overconsumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and the associated health risks is a serious problem in Australia and comprehensive action is needed by governments and other organisations to address it,” said Greg Johnson, CEO of Diabetes Australia.

“A failure to act now will contribute to our growing public health crisis and escalating costs for individuals, families, communities and governments,” he said.

The FACTS

Coke and other soft drinks are part of the obesity problem

  1. Drink a can of sugary soft drink a day? That could lead to a weight gain of more than 6.5 kg in a year.
  2. A can of Coke, Fanta or Sprite a day will mean you could gain 6.5 kg per year.