WHEREAS, The Access to Nutrition Initiative US Index 2022 ranked Coca-Cola last among eleven of the largest US food and beverage companies in delivering healthy, affordable food and beverages, noting that it was the only company in the Index without a nutrient profiling system.
The World Health Organization recently recommended “against the use of non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).” Based on a 2022 meta-analysis, no long-term benefits in reducing body fat were identified; findings suggested that long-term use of NSS “increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults.”2
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified NSS Aspartame - used in some Coca-Cola products - as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” and a BMJ study found an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, warning that NSS products “should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar.” A 2021 study noted that the combination of Aspartame and sweetener acesulfame-K (both products in Coke Zero) has been shown to increase DNA damaging activity.
Coca-Cola states that 19 of its top 20 brands are NSS beverages, deemed safe by the Company according to testing done by “globally recognized food safety authorities.” Concerns arise from media reports linking findings from the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, which recently reaffirmed safe limits for the use of aspartame, with the International Life Sciences Institute, which has been characterized as a Coca-Cola front group.
A 2018 Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity study found that Coca-Cola disproportionately targeted US teens and Hispanic and Black youth with sugary beverage marketing. The Company has since increased sales of no- and low-calorie options,6 focusing new marketing strategies for the products on communities of color. Another study found a correlation between carbonated soft drink advertising and consumption, regardless of whether marketing was focused on NSS or sugar-sweetened beverages. Thus, the Company may ultimately be expanding a portfolio of harmful products, intentionally targeting populations that consistently have poorer health outcomes than non-Hispanic whites. Considering Coca-Cola's social impact tagline, "People Matter,” it is in the Company’s best interest to create healthy products and promote them equitably.