Sugary drink companies copy tobacco textbook
The sugary drinks industry seems to have adopted the same callous playbook as the tobacco industry, writes Neva Makgetla
AFTER it became clear that smoking kills, cigarette companies’ response to regulation went through stages: first denying the scientific evidence; then claiming regulation would unfairly constrain individual choice and cost jobs; then trying to expand sales in developing markets, where people were less aware of the dangers of smoking; and only very late in the game, investing in less poisonous products.The sugary drinks industry seems to have adopted the same callous playbook.Despite what the soft-drink companies claim, there is abundant evidence that the rapid rise in sugar consumption in the past few decades is associated with chronic diseases, especially obesity, diabetes and heart problems. Sugar is not good for your teeth, either.Denying these health burdens is like denying AIDS and climate change.Sure, you can ignore the bulk of the evidence, rely on outlier studies and trot out fringe scientists. But that does not change the scientific consensus, which should be the basis for ...
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