Health experts who work with Coke say soda’s a good snack
Associated Press
NEW YORK
Coca-Cola is working with fitness and nutrition experts who suggest its soda as a treat at a time when the world’s biggest beverage maker is being blamed for helping to fuel obesity rates.
In February, several of the experts wrote online posts for American Heart Month, with each including a mini-can of Coke or soda as a snack idea. The pieces — which appeared on nutrition blogs and other sites, including those of major newspapers — offer a window into the many ways food companies work behind the scenes to cast their products in a positive light, often with the help of third parties who are seen as trusted authorities.
Ben Sheidler, a Coca-Cola spokesman, compared the February posts to product placement deals a company might have with TV shows.
“We have a network of dietitians we work with,” said Sheidler, who declined to say how much the company pays experts. “Every big brand works with bloggers or has paid talent.”
Other companies, including Kellogg and General Mills, have used strategies such as providing continuing-education classes for dietitians, funding studies that burnish the nutritional images of their products and offering newsletters for health experts. PepsiCo Inc. also has worked with dietitians who suggest its Frito-Lay and Tostito chips in local TV segments on healthful eating. Others use nutrition experts in sponsored content; the American Pistachio Growers has quoted a dietitian for the New England Patriots in a piece on healthful snacks and recipes.
For Coca-Cola Co., the public-relations strategy with health experts in February focused on the theme of “Heart Health & Black History Month.” The effort yielded a radio segment and multiple online pieces.
One post refers to a “refreshing beverage option such as a mini can of Coca- Cola.” Another suggests “portion-controlled versions of your favorites, like Coca-Cola mini cans, packs of almonds or pre-portioned desserts for a meal.”
The company is pushing its mini-cans as a guilt-free way to enjoy cola. The cans also fetch higher prices on a per-ounce basis, so even if people are drinking less soda, Coke says it can grow sales.
The message that Coke can be a healthful snack is debatable. A mini-Coke is 7.5 ounces and has 90 calories, all of it from high-fructose corn syrup. That’s compared with 140 calories in a regular 12-ounce can.
Alice Lichtenstein, a professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University and a member of the nutrition committee at the American Heart Association, said a smaller can of soda might be a “move in the right direction” for someone who regularly drinks soda. Still, she wouldn’t recommend soda as a snack.