On October 6, 2009, the AAFP proudly announced their partnership with Coca-Cola, Co. to form the Consumer Alliance Program, a program created to help consumers make better choices when it comes to beverages and artificial sweeteners. Facilitating the program’s launch was a $500,000 grant provided by Coke.
Yeah, you read that right. Coke gave $500,000 to the American Academy of Family Physicians, which they accepted, to launch a program meant to educate people on making wise choices when it comes to sugary drinks.
Understandably, many people are calling B.S. on the partnership, dismissing Coca-Cola as a company for potentially paying off doctors to back their product to improve public opinion in our obesity plagued nation, and the Academy for accepting money and endorsing an unhealthy product.
Many of the members of the Academy are so turned off by the hypocrisy, in fact, that they are quitting the Academy altogether, and speaking out against the grant as well.
Coke used to be a household staple, but as America has started to expand, the soda giant’s reputation has begun to go flat, especially as people have become more and more aware of the quality of food they are putting into their bodies. After all, the first unhealthy product crossed off the grocery list? Soda.
The problem is that Coke is full of high fructose corn syrup, which alters the metabolic rate which plays a big roll in the obesity epidemic. A Coke also contains over 39 grams of sugar (for comparison, a Snickers bar has 30 grams) and 140 calories per can. Furthermore, it contains no vitamins, and plays no role in a healthy, well balanced diet.
It’s a smart move by Coca-Cola, I’ll give them that. What with the beverage industry nervously anticipating the impending sugary drink tax, having the American Academy of Family Physicians in their corner to lobby against the tax on their behalf, they could stand a chance.
The Consumer Alliance Program is supposed to help consumers make informed decisions about sweeteners. However, if that were true the AAFP would hand out fliers calling for a boycott on Coke, not selling out to them. Shameful.
Comments
claire
November 24th, 2009 - 2:37:52 PM
everyone has their price. for the AAFP, $500,000 appears to be that number. how sad.
mj
November 24th, 2009 - 6:28:02 PM
sugary drink tax? LOL, one term pres. for sure
Cynthia1770
November 28th, 2009 - 2:50:51 PM
Although Coke owns Minute Maid and Dasani water, the bulk of their products are sweetened with HFCS. Take a look at the CDC chart reflecting obesity vs. per capita consumption of sugar and HFCS. Note that the obesity index really takes off in 1984-1985. You know what happened that year? That was the year the big boys, Pepsi and Coke, switched to HFCS. We have been guzzling that aberrantly cheap industrial sweetener for more than 20 years and we are far fatter and sicker that we were before. Yeah, the AAFP sold out. The alliance will surely turn Faustian.