Is Coke The Real Thing?

The flurry of media outlets scurrying about with the headlines , press releases and t.v. commercials still fresh in mind of the public that Coca-Cola Company will be applying a new beverage advertisement policy. The new policy will affect the 35 percent of its business consumership made up of under twelve years of age in an attempt to reduce childhood obesity. Coke, which it is famously known as, promises to help reduce childhood obesity by ceasing all ads directed to kids below the age of 12 especially in locations they mostly utilize.Coke also promises to add calorie count labels on all products as well. This new policy also includes producing more low to zero calorie beverages, such as the "mini-can" and Zero Water. Coke even plans to help create activity and sports oriented programs for children in its policies. On the surface these all sound good and sound like a rather ambitious agenda for the multi-billion dollar super corporation to be undertaking. But, even with its grand altruistic gesture, many critics are raising there eye-brows nevertheless. This policy comes at a time soft drink sales are on the decline especially in Europe. The Center for Science in the Public Interest(CSPI), France and Hungary have began to advocate a tax on sugary drinks and countries such as the United Kingdom are currently considering the same. In this past year the American mayor of the city of New York, Michael Bloomberg, even passed a ban on "super-sized " sodas over 16 ounces. Other critics call for Coke to pull the "cutsey" polar bear ads and the famous Santa Claus ads seen mostly during Christmas time or on national sporting events like the Super Bowl. In Mexico the El Poder del Consulmidar call for more transparency from Coca - Cola . But, this all falls on the public after Coca -Cola along with PepsiCo(producers of Pespi) over a year ago promised to disclose more of the sugary ingredients in their drinks, particularly the sweetners. Coke and PepsiCo. had worked a deal supposedly with the fast food restaurants to help reduce sugar in beverages by reducing the of a serving and to reduce the sugar content. But, no one knows if these "newly reduced" sugars are any healthier than the table sugar in regular soft drinks. Aspartame is an artificial sweetner that is formulated out of methanol, known famously as "wood alcohol" that caused blindness and is found in anti-freeze and embalming solutions. Aspartame has been documented by the FDA to cause neurological problems such as seizure, reduced cognition, and brain tumors. Sucralose was discovered while its chlorine component was being derived for a herbicide. Today , the biggest artificial sweetner that is being called the great saviour against obesity in soft drinks is high fructose corn syrup(HFCS). This product is the single most cause for the spike in obesity and the overweight problem in kids in the last twenty years. It is prevalent not only in soft drinks, but also in cereals, snack foods and other sweet foods. HFCS is associated with obesity, overweight status, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gall bladder disease and heart disease in children. New concerns are growing over Neotame or Agave as well. The jury is still out but, things are also looking worrisome. It is good that soft drink companies are making at least an attempt to reduce childhood obesity. No one is saying they shouldn't do that, but for many it is a weak appeal that stands as a paper tiger, too little too late. Soft drink companies and all snack food makers as well as fast food producers need to be transparent about the content of their sugar ingredients. Don't just advocate reducing the size of a drink when in essence the quality of the sugar being used even in a smaller can may produce profound health effects on a child. These are corporate decisions that all effect a corporation's bottom-line, but the question is what is the worth of your child's health....that of a two dollar 16 ounce can of a potentially life threatening artificial sweetners?

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