Coke in move to avert ‘soda tax’

Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft drinks company, says it is “ramping up” efforts to stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle in combating obesity, in response to a growing push by health advocates for a federal tax on sugared drinks and sodas. A Coke official said the company is about to expand what she called its existing “multi-faceted effort” on nutrition education, including the use of paid advertising to underline the need to balance calories consumed with appropriate exercise. “Clearly the threat of the soft drink tax shows the need to educate consumers about what we were already doing in this area,” she said. The idea of using a “soda tax” that could help fund healthcare reforms has been gradually gathering momentum in Washington. In an interview with Men’s Health magazine this month, Barack Obama, US president, said: “I actually think it’s an idea that we should be exploring.”Image: 1.bg.blogspot.com. More…

News selected by Covalence | Country: Global | Company – Ethical Quote link: Coca-Cola Company | Source: Financial Times