Emails Show Coke Courting Favor with CDC
A report published last month in health policy journal The Milbank Quarterly which analyzed private emails between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Coca-Cola Company found that the soda giant has been working to influence policy dictated by the government agency.
According to Salon, the report analyzed 295 pages from 86 emails obtained via the Freedom of Information Act by U.S. Right To Know, a nonprofit organization which works to create transparency in the food and beverage industry.
The study found that Coke had sought to gain access to the agency and “shift attention and blame away from sugar-sweetened beverages” for obesity and other nutrition-related health epidemics. According to the report, Coke hoped to blame a “lack of physical activity” for the rise in obesity.
Emails reviewed in the analysis contained examples of Coke seeking to influence critics of sugar-sweetened beverages. One example showed an executive from the company discussing former World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Margaret Chan, who has blamed sugary drinks for contributing to global health crises. The exchanged revealed former Coke executive Alex Malaspina, who had previously worked with Barbara Bowman the CDC’s former director of its Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, sought to gain access to Chan and “start a dialogue” between her and Coke-backed scientists.
According to CNN, the emails also showed “at least one visit was arranged for CDC staff to Coca-Cola’s headquarters.”
In a statement to Salon, U.S. Right to Know co-director Gary Ruskin called for Congress to investigate the relationship between the CDC and Coke to “ensure that CDC is not improperly influenced by corporations that manufacture harmful products.”
In response to the paper, Coke issued a statement affirming its commitment to fighting obesity and called for consumers to limit their daily sugar intake.
“We’ve listened closely to those in the public health community and other stakeholders to better understand the most appropriate role we can play to support the fight against obesity in a way that is credible, transparent, and beneficial for everyone and we have evolved our approach,” the statement said. “We recognize that too much sugar isn’t good for anyone. In fact, we support the current recommendation by several leading health authorities, including the World Health Organization, that people should limit their intake of added sugar to no more than 10% of their total energy/calorie consumption.”
Coke Controversy Over Delta Airlines Napkins
In another controversy for Coke, the company apologized last week for a poorly received ad campaign with Delta Airlines.
Both companies felt the backlash from consumers online last month after Delta distributed napkins with advertisements for Diet Coke encouraging passengers to flirt with one another. The napkins read “Because you’re on a plane full of interesting people and hey… you never know” with lines for passengers to write down their name and number to give to their “plane crush.”
According to CNN, some passengers posted on Twitter that they found the napkins funny, while others felt the companies were encouraging unsolicited harassment.
“We sincerely apologize to anyone we may have offended,” Coke said in a statement quoted by CNN. “We worked with our partners at Delta to begin removing the napkins last month and are replacing them with other designs.”
Rise of CBD Coffee Creates Controversy For Local Maine Brand
While the rise of CBD (cannabidiol) has given coffee shops a new way to draw in consumers, Coffee By Design isn’t feeling it.
The Portland, ME-based coffee shop, which opened in 1994, is better known to locals by its acronym — CBD — to which it officially rebranded in 2017. The company has four locations in Maine and sells its beans wholesale globally, including to other area cafes which advertise serving “CBD Coffee.”
According to Bloomberg, the company says the rise of cannabidiol has created a wave of confusion among consumers as cafes advertise a different type of “CBD Coffee.” Because of source pricing for cannabidiol, the products often feature high surcharges upwards of $5, which the Coffee By Design says has resulted in consumers believing the company is raising its prices.
The company is now seeking to enforce its trademark. Co-owner Alan Spear told Bloomberg that Coffee By Design is okay with competitors advertising that they sell “CBD extract” but that the phrase “CBD coffee” is an infringement. The company is currently consulting with attorneys about potential legal action.
“We’re well within our rights to prevent others from using the term CBD as a trademark in relation to coffee and coffee shops,” Spear told Bloomberg. “As a responsible trademark owner, we have an obligation.”
Forbes Profiles Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company
In 1989, Marygrace Sexton took $20,000 she had saved from her job as a receptionist, purchased industrial tanks and a juicer, and named her startup after her newborn daughter. 30 years later, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company is valued at an estimated $140 million and sells 25 SKUs in 42 countries.
Earlier this week, Forbes reporter Chloe Sorvino sat down with Marygrace and Natalie Sexton, the latter of whom is now the company’s VP of marketing, to learn more about the company’s past, present, and future, including their devotion to clean ingredients and how it competes with the beverage strategics.
“The beverage category is becoming so saturated and competitive,” Natalie told Forbes. “Many of these brands produce juices that they claim are clean or healthy, but if you read the ingredients, they’re not. We’re going to continue being the authentic option up against the other brands on the shelf.”