American Dietetic Association to Hand the Microphone to Coca-Cola at Its Annual Conference; It's Like an Anti-Smoking Group Inviting Philip Morris to Present on Its Initiatives to Reduce Youth Smoking

On Sunday, October 7th, the American Dietetic Association will hold a press conference at its annual meeting in Philadelphia to highlight the work of groups which it claims are upholding the organization's "vision of optimizing the nation's health through food and nutrition."

Naturally, many of you are now curious as to who these groups are which are upholding the vision of optimizing the nation's health. The answer, according to the American Dietetic Association, is:

The Coca-Cola Company: A company which sells 1.25 billion bottles of Coke each year and spends $4.5 million annually lobbying against public health measures to improve nutrition and reduce obesity

PepsiCo: A company whose signature sugar-laden soft drink is responsible for $20 billion in annual sales and which spends $1.7 million annually lobbying against public health measures to improve nutrition and reduce obesity.

The Rest of the Story

What do these two companies have in common? Why are they being honored as champions of the public's health rather than one of the leading organizations that actually fights soft drink consumption and obesity, such as the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity or one of the hundreds of other organizations devoted to improving nutrition and fighting obesity?

The answer is simple...

... money.

Both the Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo are heavy funders of the American Dietetic Association. This money has not only purchased the ADA's silence on the corporate role in the obesity epidemic and the importance of policy change, but has also purchased a marketing endorsement from the ADA and a golden opportunity to address the media - with the ADA's help - as a leader in the movement to improve nutrition.

Had these sponsorships by Coca-Cola and Pepsi merely bought the ADA's silence on the role of these corporations in the obesity epidemic, it would have been bad enough. But far from being silent, the ADA is now serving as an active marketing arm for these soft drink companies, and therefore, for soft drinks.

This is a dream come true for Big Soda. They now have the ADA as a marketing partner.

vision of optimizing the nation's health through food and nutrition. Read more: http://www.eatright.org/FNCE/content.aspx?id=6442469221&terms=coca-cola

vision of optimizing the nation's health through food and nutrition. Read more: http://www.eatright.org/FNCE/content.aspx?id=6442469221&terms=coca-cola