Senate Leadership
April 6, 2006
Williams, Attorney General Blumenthal Disclose Unconscionable Contract Practices of Coca-Cola
Under contracts with schools, Coke pushes sugary soda over healthy beverage products they also own
Senator Williams speaks during the press conference exposing Coca-Cola's questionable contracts with schools in Connecticut. Behind him is Marne Usher, legislative director of the Connecticut Parent Teacher Association, and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. (April 6, 2006)
State Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today criticized the Coca-Cola Company for pushing sugary sodas on Connecticut school children. The two cited contracts that the Coca-Cola Bottling Company holds with some Connecticut public schools that allows them stunning control over what beverages children can buy. Attorney General Blumenthal also questioned the "scholarship" money the company provides to schools and whether such funding is being used to further its for-profit business.
"It is absolutely outrageous for Coke to push the nutritionally empty, junk soda drinks on our children at the expense of water and fruit juice drinks that they also own and market," Sen. Williams said. "We have uncovered facts that show that Coca-Cola is actually providing greater financial incentives to push unhealthy beverages that contribute to the epidemic of childhood obesity and other problems that lead to life-long health problems. This is a scandal that's going on in Connecticut if not throughout the country, and it's time to get soda out of our schools."
Sen. Williams cited the exclusive beverage sale contracts between Coca-Cola and the Southington and Bridgeport Public Schools showing the sales commissions the schools get for the sale of soda are at least 25 percent higher for soda than for other drinks the company sells, such as bottled water. In the Southington contract, the high school gets 45 percent of the soda sales and 36 percent of all other sales. In Bridgeport, it's 38 percent for soda and 30 percent for all other beverages.
Attorney General Blumenthal said his office will look into just how Coca-Cola uses its so-called "scholarship" money and the source of that money.
"Our children should not be held hostage by Coke as it threatens to rescind scholarships and academic and athletic enrichment programs, simply to stop laws requiring healthier drinks in schools," Attorney General Blumenthal said. "This effort to bully our legislators will backfire. The heavy-handed threats by Coke to revoke payments for academic and athletic improvement raises profoundly significant questions about its good faith and corporate citizenship. We are also investigating whether it may have misused its foundation in making commitments and grants--possibly intermingling charitable and corporate funds. Our hope is that Coke will keep faith with our kids who are their biggest and best customers for healthy drinks as well as soda."
Last summer, even the American Beverage Association, a trade group supported by soda companies including Coca-Cola, acknowledged their responsibility in the childhood obesity epidemic. Susan Neely, the head of the ABA, said "Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the U.S., and the responsibility for finding common-sense solutions is shared by everyone, including our industry. We intend to be part of the solution by increasing the availability of lower-calorie and/or nutritious beverages in schools."
"She's right," said Sen. Williams. "Unfortunately, Coca-Cola is part of the problem, not part of the solution. They're not promoting nutritious beverages--they're doing just the opposite--they're deliberately providing extra incentives for less-healthy beverages. That's shocking and unconscionable--they obviously do not value the health of our children. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 9 million schoolchildren ages 6 to 19 are overweight. The number of overweight children has doubled since 1980."
Sen. Williams noted an article in the journal Pediatrics reporting on a study that shows for the first time that simply cutting back on sugary drinks can reduce body fat. Other studies have suggested that increasing the amount of high-calorie soft drinks can increase weight, but this is the first to show that reducing the amount of sugary beverages can reduce weight.
"Coca-Cola has proved that the arguments they use against a ban on soda in the schools--that we need more nutritional education instead, and that we need more parental control--are phony and ridiculous," Sen. Williams said. The proof is in where they are putting their money. As we now know, they are using their money to undermine nutritional education and usurp parental control."
"Another argument the soda industry has used is that soda and junk food companies are the friends of diabetic children. Nothing could be more absurd or hurtful to the children throughout the country who are part of an epidemic of type-2 diabetes that is being caused in part by the junk food and junk soda industries. There are far better and healthier choices for diabetic children than diet soda," he said.
Added Sen. Williams, "The public needs to know the truth about what is happening regarding the School Nutrition Bill. It's time to get the corrupting influence of the soda companies out of our schools. It's time for truth in this debate and it's time for the public to know just how the soda industry is using our schools to gain a stranglehold on our children."
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