I Am Mad At Coca-Cola!

My love for Diet Coke is legendary. I go to sleep at night drinking a Diet Coke and wake up in the morning drinking a Diet Coke. I carry a can with me wherever I go. I chastise restaurant managers who don’t serve a perfect blend of syrup and carbonation from their fountains. I literally live and breathe Diet Coke. So for me to utter the words, “I am mad at Coca Cola,” it must be very serious!


What is causing my anger is a full page ad in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune (and I am sure in other newspapers across the world) that tells us, “Our nation is facing an obesity problem and we plan on being part of the solution. By promoting balanced diets and active lifestyles, we can make a positive difference.” Blah, blah, blah with stuff about Coca-Cola partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of America and paying to rebuild national trails and ending with telling readers to go to their web site www.livepositively.com to learn about proper nutrition and all sorts of other things.

Why do the ad and web site upset me so much? Because Coca-Cola should not have to spend millions of dollars on ads and web sites justifying their existence! They are a great company that produces carbonated beverages, fruit juices, energy drinks, tea and water which people can choose to consume or not consume. That choice should be made because of the flavor of the beverage, not because of some fancy web site that the company is touting.

The Q&A guide on “Fact and Myths,” is 44 pages long and includes, to me, stupid questions like:

Q. How can Coca-Cola’s beverages be part of a balanced, sensible diet?


A. Any food or beverage can be a part of a balanced, sensible diet when consumed in moderation. Experts agree that keys to maintaining a healthy weight include consuming a variety of foods and beverages from all food groups, consuming the right amount of calories for your energy needs and incorporating physical activity into each day.

Q. How many servings of sparkling beverages can you drink a day?


A. Like all foods and beverages, sparkling beverages should be enjoyed in moderation as part of a variety of hydration options and accompanied by a balanced, sensible diet and a physically active lifestyle. The number of servings that are right for you will depend on your energy needs and your level of physical activity.

There are other sections on what the company is doing to reduce its carbon footprint, their recycling programs, protecting human rights in the workplace, yada, yada, yada. I agree that Coca-Cola is a fabulous company, but I drink Diet Coke because it tastes delicious, not because the company protects the rights of workers in its supply chain.


Pepsi could donate 100 billion dollars a year to some humanitarian cause and I still would not drink Diet Pepsi because it tastes horrible! What a shame that we live in a world where people often do not make their food decision based solely on flavor, but on the sustainable packaging strategy of the parent company. They would rather consume an inferior tasting product just because the company is trying to “save the planet” or something.

Coca-Cola does not have to take out full page ads and fancy web sites that seemingly defend the fact that they simply produce beverages. The research guys at Coke are not rocket scientists, I care about the flavor of my Diet Coke, not if the company can land a man on Mars.