Earlier this year, this newsletter highlighted the cover of the February 14th 2015 issue of the British Medical Journal. It shows a spider web to illustrate its main point: “How sugar spun its web of influence.” You should read it, especially if you still doubt that most corporations collude with each other, manipulate the media and falsify research to promote their products. They often discredit honest, serious research contradicting their claims. This is particularly true in the Food Industry, especially where sugar is concerned.
On November 25th 2015 the Associated Press (Salt Lake Tribune) published a glaring example of how this web of influence operates: The nonprofit anti obesity group Global Energy Balance Network took $1.5M from Coca-Cola. Even though the group has claimed that the money did not influence their work (haha!), Emails have shown this not to be true. Coca-Cola has been found to most definitely influence the group in the following ways:
- It picked the group leaders,
- It edited mission statement,
- It suggested website content,
- It directed the group to “Make CocaCola fun again.”
- It directed the group to “Establish their website as the place for the media to go to on comments about obesity.”
- It recommended to “Run a political style campaign to counter the shrill rhetoric of public health extremists who want to tax or limit foods they deem unhealthy.”
- It recommended that the group “Influence health experts to say a soda is ok as a snack.”
- It recommended that “Network (group) needs to be open to collaboration from private industry: a non negotiable [postulate.]”
- It offered the group advice on how to deal with the media: “If you would like media training let me know. All our folks receive it.” (from Coke officer managing Group)
How does this make you feel?
