Coca-Cola, the most powerful and well known soft drinks company in the world, is claiming to publicly address the link between sugary drinks and obesity with a global advertising campaign which has started in the USA.



“Coming Together

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obesity

NEJM (New England Journal of Medicine)sugary drinks can make people more genetically susceptible to becoming obese







“We are committed to bring people together tohelp fight obesity. This is about the health and happiness of everyone who buys our products and wants great-tasting beverages, choice and information. The Coca-Cola Company has an important role in this fight. Together, with willing partners, we will succeed.”



“The soda industry is under siege, and for good reason. This new advertising campaign is just a damage control exercise, and not a meaningful contribution toward addressing obesity.

What the industry is trying to do is forestall sensible policy approaches to reducing sugary drink consumption, including taxes, further exclusion from public facilities, and caps on serving sizes such as the measure proposed by Mayor Bloomberg.”

  • Coca-Cola for Fitness – the company says that this program will be expanded in major cities during the coming twelve months. Launched in Chicago during the fall of 2012, Coca-Cola Troops for Fitness gets military veterans who have returned to teach military-style fitness classes to families, with such moves as push-ups, sit-ups, calisthenics, pull-ups as well as advice on nutrition.

  • America is Your Park – vote for your favorite park. Americans are encouraged to go outdoors and vote for the park they like the most. This is a collaboration between Coca-Cola, the National Park Foundation, and America’s State Parks and National Recreation and Park Association.

    A grant of $100,000 was made by Coca-Cola for the winning park, as well as awards to three other winning parks. The grants are aimed at restoring, rebuilding or improving activity areas in parks where people are active and play. The company says that it has donated almost $15 million in such schemes over the years.

  • Triple Play – launched by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in 2005 with financial help from Coca-Cola. It encourages children to eat healthily, become more physically active and increase their ability to take part in healthy relationships.

  • School Fitness Centers & Governor’s Physical Fitness Challenge – a joint project between the National Foundation for Governor’s Fitness Councils, the American College of Sports Medicine and Coca-Cola. The company awarded $5 million to set up 100 new fitness centers in schools across the country over a five year period. The centers, which will be unbranded, will have new fitness equipment and provide over five million workouts per year. Over 1.4 million students have benefited from the pilot initiative.



Marketing at children

Nutrition labeling



  • School Beverage Guidelines – along with President Clinton, in 2006 Coca-Cola, the American Beverage Association, and other drinks companies in the USA helped set up the national school beverage guidelines by voluntarily changing drinks offered in primary and secondary schools. Since 2005, the drinks industry has reduced the number of calories delivered to schools by 90%.

    A study published in the August 2012 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine explained that compared to four years before, 50% fewer students could buy regular soda in schools. However, the authors stressed that sugar-laden soft drinks are still too widely available.

  • Clear on Calories – Coca-Cola, along with the rest of the drinks industry in the USA, supported First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative with a “Clear on Calories” commitment, by placing calorie details on the front of nearly all drink containers.

  • Calories Count Vending Program – this program aims to provide more low calorie drinks in vending machines.