Health advocates call for Coca-Cola to scrap 'healthy lifestyle' advertising campaign

Leading Australian health groups have launched an offensive against Coca-Cola's latest advertising campaign.

The ABC reports that 12 health groups, including Diabetes Australia and Nutrition Australia, have written a joint letter to Coca-Cola calling on it to scrap its campaign for sugary drinks and pull out of children's sport sponsorship.

Television advertisements that are part of the Coca-Cola campaign show a range of activities such as cycling and use the slogan "innovation, information and choices" in reference to addressing the nation's obesity issues.

Jane Martin from the Obesity Policy Coalition says the groups wanted to voice their concerns directly to Coca-Cola.

She told the ABC "we think we are best placed to talk about the implications and the solutions as far as sugary drinks are concerned..

"I don't think the public should be taking dietary advice from Coca-Cola.

"They were the people that said it was a myth that Coke made you fat, a myth that it rotted your teeth and a myth that it was packed with caffeine."

Martin says those claims were found to be potentially misleading and deceptive, adding "I think the public do deserve more and I think Coca-Cola really should be putting their marketing might behind actions that really would make a difference and actually accept that sugary drinks are a huge part of the obesity problem."

19th July 2012 - INACTIVITY TO BLAME FOR 1 IN 10 AUSTRALIAN DEATHS