Editor’s Note: As covered previously, Coca-Cola has failed to fully disclose its influence on health science. Below CrossFit employee Derek Fields helps Coca-Cola become more transparent.
Big Soda is on the run.
Image source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CSfU-74AAVM/VTKrE_Is5bI/AAAAAAAAMd4/bOtawd0dFBA/s1600/kid.jpg
We have compiled a list of at least 216 organizations dedicated to health, nutrition, fitness, or sport that have taken money from Coca-Cola or PepsiCo. Four of the more influential organizations from the list have terminated their relationship with Coca-Cola (or had their relationship terminated) since Anahad O’Connor’s expose in the New York Times. O’Connor revealed that Coca-Cola-funded scientists have questioned whether food has anything to do with the obesity epidemic.
Four of 216 leaving Coca-Cola behind is just a start, though. Many of the organizations on the following list accept money from Coca-Cola, and yet Coca-Cola hid them from its “Transparency” campaign revelations last week. Also, for some strange reason, PepsiCo funding has escaped scrutiny.
See if your favorite health organization has accepted money from Coca-Cola and/or PepsiCo:
- National Strength and Conditioning Association
- American College of Sports Medicine
- National Athletic Trainers Association
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Coke relationship ended since NYT expose, but still PepsiCo-funded)
- American College of Lifestyle Medicine
- AIDS Arms Inc.
- AIDS Walk San Diego
- Alivio Medical Center
- Alliance for Lupus Research
- Alstrom Syndrome International
- AltaMed Health Services Corporation
- Alzheimer’s Association
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association Inc
- Amateur Athletic Union of the United States
- American Academy of Family Physicians (Formal Coca-Cola relationship ended in June)
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
- American Academy of Pediatrics (Coca-Cola relationship ended since NYT expose)
- American Bladder Cancer Society
- American Brain Tumor Association
- American Cancer Society
- American College of Cardiology (Coca-Cola-relationship ended since NYT expose)
- American Council for Fitness and Nutrition
- American Council on Science and Health
- American Diabetes Association
- American Dietetic Association Foundation Inc
- American Heart Association
- American Institute for Cancer Research
- American Kidney Fund
- American Liver Foundation
- American Lung Association
- American Red Cross
- American Parkinson Disease Association
- AmeriHealth Mercy Foundation
- American Society for Nutrition
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association
- Anschutz Health & Wellness Center
- Arthritis Foundation Inc
- Arthritis Foundation, Southeast Region Inc.
- Association for Healthcare Foodservice
- Autism Speaks Inc
- Baylor College of Medicine
- Baylor Health Care System Foundation
- Beth Israel/Harvard Obesity Conference
- Big Sur International Marathon (One past hyponatremia death here)
- Birmingham Athletic Partnership
- Black Girls RUN
- Bodiworx Health & Fitness
- Body by Jake
- Body Sculpt of New York, Inc
- Boys & Girls Clubs of America Triple Play Program
- Breast Cancer Alliance Inc
- Breast Cancer Fund
- Breast Cancer Research Foundation Inc
- Brigham & Women’s Hospital
- British Dietetic Association
- British Nutrition Foundation
- California Aquatic Therapy & Wellness Center
- Calorie Control Council
- Canadian Diabetes Association
- Canadian Institute of Child Health
- Cancer Care Inc
- Cancer Care Services
- Cancer Wellness Center
- Center for Food Integrity
- Centre For Nutritional Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully, Inc
- Chicago International Sports Group
- Children’s Hospital Corporation
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation
- Children’s Medical Center Foundation
- Children’s Medical Research Inc
- Cincinnati Center For Closing The Health Gap
- Columbus Black Nurses Association
- Congress of the European College of Sport Science
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Inc
- Department Of Sports Science And Physical Education, The Chinese University Of Hong Kong
- Diabete Quebec
- Doctors Without Borders USA Inc
- Emory Global Diabetes Research Center, Rollins School of Public Health
- Emory University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
- Epode International Network
- Epilepsy Foundation of America
- European Hydration Institute
- Fit Worth
- Food Allergy & Anaphylaxix Network
- Foundation for the National Institutes for Health
- Foundation of Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
- French Diabetics’ Association
- Gameday Healthy Kids Foundation
- Gannett Health
- George West Mental Health Foundation Inc.
- Georgia Department of Public Health
- Georgia Tennis Foundation
- Georgia Transplant Foundation
- Girls on the Run Las Vegas
- Girls on the Run New Orleans
- Global Summit on Physical Activity for Children
- Good Sports
- Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation
- Harvard Medical School/Partners in Health
- Health Connect South
- Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation
- Henry W. Grady Health System Foundation
- Hispanic Health Coalition of Georgia
- Hope Heart Institute
- Hospital for Special Surgery Fund
- Human Performance Laboratory, University of Arkansas
- Industry Nutrition Advisory Panel of the American Heart Association (INAP/AHA)
- Institute for Population Health
- Institute of Medicine Food Forum (IOM Food Forum)
- International College of Dentists
- International Congress of Nutrition
- International Congress on Physical Activity & Public Health
- International Food Information Council (IFIC)
- International Life Sciences Institute Argentina
- International Life Sciences Institute North America
- International Pediatric Association Foundation
- International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP)
- International Sport And Culture Association
- International Stevia Council (ISC)
- JDRF International
- JDRF Rocky Mountain
- JDRF Hawaii
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
- Kidney and Urology Foundation of America
- Kidney Cancer Association
- Latvian Association Of Dietary And Nutrition Specialists
- Latvian Physicians Association
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc
- Lupus Foundation of America Inc
- Lymphoma Research Foundation
- Magyar Dietetikus Orszagos Szovetsege (Hungarian Dietetic Association)
- Marathon Kids
- Marcus Autism Center
- Medical Research Council
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation
- Michael J Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research
- Milwaukee Health Services Inc
- Mission Hospital Foundation
- Morehouse School of Medicine
- Muscular Dystrophy Association
- National Association of Hispanic Nurses
- National Black Nurses Association
- National Breast Cancer Foundation
- National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
- National Council on Youth Sports Safety, Inc.
- National Dental Association
- National Foundation for the Center for Disease Control
- National Foundation on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition
- National Kidney Foundation Inc
- National Multiple Sclerosis Society
- National Obesity Forum
- National Parkinson’s Foundation Inc
- National Physical Activity Plan
- Ngo Sport Club Motion
- Northeast Colorado Health Department
- Northeast Valley Health Corporation
- Northwest Side Health Advisory Committee
- Obesity Week 2013
- Palestine Association For Children’s Encouragement Of Sports
- Pan American Health and Education Foundation
- Pediatric Cancer Foundation Inc
- Pediatric Cancer Research Fund
- Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, Louisiana State University
- Police Athletic League
- Prader-Willi Syndrome Association
- Preventative Cardiovascular Nurses Association
- Purdue University, College of Health and Human Sciences
- Purdue University Department of Nutrition & Health
- QueensCare Family Clinics
- Roseland Community Hospital
- Russian Association For Sport Medicine And Rehabilitation Of Patients And The Disabled
- San Antonio Sports Foundation
- San Francisco General Hospital
- Serbian Institute Of Sport
- Sickle Cell Disease Association of America
- Soccer in the Streets
- Society for Nutrition Educators
- Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games (SCCOG): Ready, Set, Gold!
- Special Olympics International
- Sports Science Insights
- SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
- Street Soccer USA, Inc.
- Stichting Vrienden Van Gezond Gewicht (Friends Of A Healthy Weight)
- Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
- Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
- Susan G Komen Race for the Cure
- Susan G Komen for the Cure
- Szkolny Zwiazek Sportowy (Sport School Association)
- Texas Children’s Health Plan
- The Bexar County Community Health Collaborative
- The Nutrition Promotion Foundation
- The Obesity Society
- Truly Living Well Center For Natural Urban Agriculture
- UKActive
- UK Association for the Study of Obesity
- United States Olympic Committee
- University of Georgia Department of Foods and Nutrition
- University of Rochester – Center for Community Health
- University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health
- University of Toronto, Center for Childhood Nutrition Health and Development
- UNTHealth Science Center
- US Olympics
- US Pro Cycle Challenge
- US Soccer Federation Foundation
- Visiting Nurse Association Foundation
- Visiting Nurse Health System, Inc
- West Virginia University College of Public Health
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
- Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center
- World Sugar Assocation Research Organization
- Xsport Fitness
Note that this list is partially built from 2012-2014 tax information, so it’s possible Coke or Pepsi has since ended its relationship with some of these organizations and/or added others.
Remember, Coca-Cola hasn’t yet told the whole story. Coke’s recent publications only show health-related funding provided by “Coca-Cola North America (CCNA), The Coca-Cola Company Foundation, or The Coca-Cola Company’s U.S. corporate headquarters” to organizations inside the U.S. and, in some cases, Canada.
Coke influences health on a global scale, though. Digging into the publicly available tax records of the Coke Foundation reveals global donations and some interesting trends.
Here you can see a spreadsheet of all the Coca-Cola Foundation’s 2012 and 2013 donations to health-related causes according to the annual 990 forms the Foundation submits to the IRS. After breaking down 2012 into foreign and domestic grants we found that roughly 60% of the Coke Foundation’s donations to health-related causes went to groups outside the US.
Image source: http://bucket.glanacion.com/anexos/fotos/97/1262997.jpg
If Coca-Cola is hiding approximately 60 percent of its influence over health just because it sent that money somewhere outside of North America, what else is it hiding?
“3. Research on ingredients, packaging, products, or brands that is not related to dietary intake, nutrition, and health, or to physical activity;
4. Research and development on new ingredients, packaging, products, or brands; and
5. Payments to third-party service providers for media services, advertising, and logistics in support of the “Partnerships” for Health and Well-Being Programs and Communications Activities listed.”
Coca-Cola is only transparent to itself.
