It’ll be lonely this Christmas without the Coca-Cola truck | Coco Khan

I know it makes sense to give children fewer sugary drinks, but why is it always poor families who miss out on the fun?

Holidays are coming, holidays are coming … unless, of course, you live in one of the 14 towns and cities pulled from the annual Coca-Cola Christmas truck tour amid health concerns. The tour sees the famous, bright red Coca-Cola truck arrive in towns as it has appeared in adverts since the early 90s – that is, in enough fairy lights to blind – to divvy up free 150ml cans of Coca-Cola, Coke Zero and Diet Coke. It kicked off last week in Glasgow, and will visit 24 neighbourhoods as opposed to last year’s 38, a downsizing of more than a third.

The truck has been touring the UK during the festive season since 1995, invited by a combination of local authorities, supermarkets and other landowners. But last year campaigners including Sugar Smart successfully prompted Public Health England to issue a warning to local authorities about the impact of such promotions on diet and tooth decay. As a result, this year’s truck will be stopping at fewer council-owned stops, relying mostly on supermarkets to host. Campaigners have continued to apply pressure, coordinating a letter signed by health organisations highlighting that the majority of the current scheduled stops are in areas where there are more children on average who are overweight. In response, Coca-Cola has committed to handing out only sugar-free drinks to children.

Related: Coca-Cola scales back UK Christmas truck tour after protests

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2PYlpLV