(Newswire.net — March 17, 2015) — One of the companies most criticized for contributing to America’s obesity problem is financing several nutritionists and fitness experts who suggested that a mini can of Coke could be part of a healthy diet, the Associated Press reported Monday.
A new report also reveals that other companies such as Kellogg’s and PepsiCo also financed some studies and nutrition experts to highlight the healthy nature of their products. The exact amount of the sum spent on claiming healthiness of their soda products has not been disclosed, however, the Coca-Cola spokesperson Ben Sheidler said there is nothing unusual in such move.
“We have a network of dietitians we work with,” Sheidler told AP. “Every big brand works with bloggers or has paid talent,” he said.
The experts are not misinforming, they just offer another point of view, as they find consuming the smaller cans is a way to reduce a tendency for consuming a larger amount of soda. According to one article on the Nutrition Planner website, mini cans of Coke are referred to as “perfectly-portioned.” Others referred to the soda as a “refreshing beverage option,” which it clearly is.
“Include having a favorite beverage, even soda,” it read, “by enjoying a Coca-Cola mini can!”
In those soda-promoting nutrition and the dietary articles, authors have been seen as experts, but also as “consultants” with various food and beverage companies, including Coca-Cola. The Poynter Institute’s Kelly McBride, however, explained to the AP that “simply referring to an author as a consultant isn’t the same as revealing that the writer was paid for the post.”
According to the AP, the authors contacted stood by their recommendations. Despite not drinking Coke herself, dietitian Robyn Flipse said the recommendation was her idea in the first place, regardless of whether or not Coca-Cola paid her to do so, because she recommends soda mini cans as a good form of refreshment without having too much.
While some authors dodge the questions of being paid by the Coca-Cola Company to recommend its soda mini cans, others even suffer by the ‘convenient memory loss’ claiming they don’t remember. According to AP, dietitian, Sylvia Melendez-Klinger who wrote a similar story, said the thoughts expressed in her article were her own, but added that she couldn’t remember if she was paid by Coke for the story.