Sodas are astonishing products. Little more than flavored sugar water,
these drinks cost practically nothing to produce or buy yet have turned
their makers - principally Coca-Cola and PepsiCo - into a
multibillion-dollar industry with global recognition, distribution, and
political power. Billed as "refreshing," "tasty," "crisp," and "the real
thing," sodas also happen to be so well established to contribute to
poor dental hygiene, higher calorie intake, obesity, and type 2 diabetes
that the first line of defense against any of these conditions is to
simply stop drinking them. Habitually drinking large volumes of soda not
only harms individual health but also burdens societies with runaway
health care costs. So how did products containing absurdly inexpensive
ingredients become a multibillion-dollar industry and international
brand icons while also having a devastating impact on public health?
In Soda Politics, Dr. Marion Nestle answers this question by detailing
all of the ways that the soft drink industry works overtime to make
drinking soda as common and accepted as drinking water for adults and
children. Dr. Nestle, a renowned food and nutrition policy expert and
public health advocate, shows how sodas are principally miracles of
advertising; Coca-Cola and PepsiCo spend billions of dollars each year
to promote their sale to children, minorities, and low-income
populations, in developing as well as industrialized nations. And once
they have stimulated that demand, they leave no stone unturned to
protect profits. That includes lobbying to prevent any measures that
would discourage soda sales, strategically donating money to health
organizations and researchers who can make the science about sodas
appear confusing, and engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR)
activities to create goodwill and silence critics.
Soda Politics follows the money trail wherever it leads, revealing how
hard Big Soda works to sell as much of their products as possible to an
increasingly obese world. But Soda Politics does more than just diagnose
a problem - it encourages listeners to help find solutions. From
Berkeley to Mexico City and beyond, advocates are successfully
countering the relentless marketing, promotion, and political protection
of sugary drinks. And their actions are having an impact - for all of
the hardball and softball tactics the soft drink industry employs to
maintain the status quo, soda consumption has been flat or falling for
years. Health advocacy campaigns are now the single greatest threat to
soda companies' profits.
Soda Politics provides listeners with the tools they need to keep up
pressure on Big Soda in order to build healthier and more sustainable
food systems.
