In a move that seems to have sparked a number of criticisms from various divides in the market, the American Diabetes Association announced a multi-million dollar alliance with Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages (CSAB). The alliance was aimed at increasing awareness of the importance of making healthy food choices in order to promote healthy living. The arrangement is meant to see CSAB take charge of a number of ADA programs, such as the America Walk for Diabetes, and programs that support people struggling with weight loss problems. The deal involved CSAB being allowed to use the ADA logo in their diet soft drinks. This is in exchange with the multi-million dollar deals.
One of the most disturbing aspects about this partnership is the fact that the alliance suddenly changed their position with regard to diabetes promoting substances such as sugar. There is obviously a strong connection between the consumption of sugar and diabetes. The stakeholders however, have tried to downplay this link. They state that sugar does not cause diabetes. Instead they claim that there is no evidence proving whether there is actually any relationship between the two. In fact, the ADA website recently featured an article on their website that encourages people to go ahead and consume sugar.
The statements by the partners come at a time when the Journal of Pediatrics released a research paper that shows that a majority of Type II diabetes cases is caused by excessive consumption of sugar by children. According to the study, the consumption of sodas by children contributes to about 20 teaspoons of sugar to their diet. These two companies are definitely sending mixed messages.
Leave A Comment