Marcus Strom -Mar 10, 2016
The Coca-Cola sign in Kings Cross, Sydney. Photo: Brendan Esposito
Coca-Cola has released a list of health groups and research institutions in Australia to which it makes donations. Over five years Coke, or its foundation, has spent $1.72 million funding research relating to "nutrition and health or to physical activity" and "well-being programs".
Organisations receiving money from Coke include the University of Sydney, Nutrition Society of Australia, Ted Noffs Foundation, Bicycle Network, Sports Medicine Australia, University of Queensland, David Wirrpanda Foundation, police citizen youth clubs, Australian Paralympic Committee and the Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association.
The list was quietly published online on Thursday a fortnight after Fairfax Media revealed Coca-Cola had failed to disclose its health funding in Australia. At the time Coca-Cola said compiling the information was "a lengthy process" and said "we will publish this information in the coming months".
The funding list, titled "Our commitment to transparency", outlines 36 funding events totalling $1.72 million.
In response to questions from the Herald, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola South Pacific said: "We have made a good-faith effort to disclose all the funding that meets the inclusion criteria."
However, the list does not include the NSW Institute of Sport, which lists Coca-Cola on its sponsorship page for the 2015 NSWIS Awards.
Coca-Cola said: "This is a commercial agreement related to a product and outside the criteria." In a separate statement, the NSW Institute of Sport said: "This support is part of a commercial agreement related to a product outside of the criteria."
Unless directly related to health, the list does not include donations to Indigenous organisations, such as the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, or to environmental organisations, such as WWF and Landcare, which all receive funding from Coke.
Matt Noffs told the Herald that the Noffs Foundation decided that it was incumbent upon it to be transparent about their funding. It received a one-off $10,000 in 2014 for its Street Health program from the Coca-Cola Foundation.
Mr Noffs said: "Since 2014 our comprehension of the industry has [been] elevated thanks to some incredible documentaries like That Sugar Film. What we know about sugar now we didn't know 10 years ago. Sugar is basically a drug."
He said it was unlikely the foundation would accept funding from Coke again without further regulation of the sugar and soft drinks industry.
Fairfax Media understands that $375,540 listed as going to the University of Sydney for a workplace health program for Coke employees went to the Boden Institute of Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders.
A spokeswoman for the university said: "The program was not related to research at the university or to Coca-Cola products. Due to changing work structures at Coca-Cola Australia, the company opted not to fully implement the program. Despite this, the University of Sydney remains committed to sharing its expertise with other public and private organisations to help improve the health of all Australians.
Professor Steve Simpson, academic director of the Charles Perkins Centre, said: "This health program was accepted as a contract for services prior to the establishment of the Charles Perkins Centre, when the Boden Institute existed as a standalone body. The Charles Perkins Centre has never accepted funding for research from Coca Cola, and maintains strict guidelines for engagement with industry to protect the integrity of the centre's core mission to improve public health.
Bicycle Network told the Herald: "We'd love the Coca-Cola Company to continue this incredible program for many years and are proud to be a part of it."
In its disclosure Coca-Cola stresses that it does not "have the right to prevent publication of the research results" or "provide funding conditioned on the outcome of the research".
The president of Coca-Cola South Pacific, Roberto Mercade, said: "The vast majority of the funding in Australia goes to ... support charities, the public sector and not-for-profit organisations.
"We are proud of the programs we have supported – the majority of which are community and grassroots programs."
Coca-Cola has been under pressure regarding its funding to health organisations following revelations by The New York Times it had funded the Global Energy Balance Network, which emphasised fighting obesity through exercise rather than calorie control.
The drinks company was accused of "astroturfing" opinion - funding organisations to create the impression of community support for Coke's health messaging.
A spokeswoman for Coca-Cola South Pacific told the Herald that Mr Tuggle's visit to Australia was arranged last year to attend a "fast-moving consumer goods" conference. However, Coca-Cola also said "he may meet with key stakeholders".
Fairfax Media has seen a letter sent to one stakeholder soon after we revealed Coca-Cola's failure to release its health funding in Australia.
In part that letter said: "You may be aware of the recent media coverage in Australia in relation to Coca-Cola's funding of scientific research and relationships ... In Australia, we are currently compiling a similar list ... The sharing of this information is a critical step in our broader efforts to be more transparent.
"The purpose of the meeting request is to gain an understanding of your views on industry investment in health and wellbeing research and partnerships as part of our listening and learning process. Through this process, we aim to gain insights on how we can develop a new approach to guide and inform our health and wellness policies and programs going forward."
Fairfax Media approached a number of organisations on the list of fund recipients, including the Nutrition Society of Australia. Most had not responded by the time of publication.
