The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), along with health groups from across the globe, including World Public Health Nutrition Association, World Obesity Federation, Consumers International and Centre for Science in the Public Interest, has urged Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to adopt and enforce a policy of not marketing sugar drinks to children aged 16 years and below.
The group wrote to Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent and PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi and major institutional investors of these companies for their consideration at respective annual meetings scheduled soon.
“While sugar drink consumption in the United States and Europe has been declining, your company and others are investing billions of dollars annually to increase sales in low/middle-income countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America,” said the group’s joint letter to the companies.
“Lower-income countries, in particular, will face steep and sometimes unaffordable increases in the health care costs associated with rising rates of type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other soda-related health problems.”
CSE deputy director general Chandra Bhushan said sugary drinks are aggressively targeted towards children world over. “The problem, however, is much severe in India. Our regulations are weak to address this issue. Companies are aggressively targeting our children, directly and indirectly. There is no check on celebrity endorsements, broadcasting during programs for children, in-school promotion,” he said.
He added that sugary drinks are contributing to growing childhood obesity, early onset of type 2 diabetes.
The CSE has said it was time these companies acted responsibly and stopped marketing these unhealthy drinks to children. “It will be a big initiative from their side,” noted a release issued by the group.
Meanwhile, the companies have also been urged to include warning notices about adverse health effects on soda containers, and to stop fighting public health measures aimed at reducing soda consumption, such as taxes, warning labels or marketing restrictions.
Besides the CSE, co-signers of the letter include groups from Brazil, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand.