Global health organisations, including some Indian NGOs, have asked soft drink majors to stop "hardcore" marketing and advertising of sugar-sweetened beverages to children.
The groups, which include Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), have written to CEOs of Coca Cola and Pepsico and other institutional investors to "acknowledge" the burden of sugar-related diseases in children.
The letter, sent in the run-up to Coca-Cola's annual meeting on April 27 and PepsiCo's on May 4, claimed that the multi-nationals are targeting low or middle-income countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America which face steep rise in costs associated with health problems related to these drinks.
Both the soft drink majors were not available for comment on the matter.
The letter has been co-signed by the George Institute for Global Health from Australia and India (which joined with other groups), Alliance for the Control of Tobacco Use and Health Promotion in Brazil.
The Nutritional Health Alliance in Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, Obesity Society from Australia, China, India and UK, Centre for Science and Environment in India, World Obesity Federation and World Public Health Nutrition Association are also signatories to the letter.
According to reports by Diabetes Foundation and Centre of
Nutrition and Metabolic Research in India, the per capita consumption of sugary beverages has gone up by more than 5 times since 1998.
"This in itself shows the impact of the marketing being done by these companies in developing countries like India.
"There is growing science on the negative impact of excess sugar consumption on health. The scale of the problem can't be blamed on individuals - we live in an environment where companies like Coke and Pepsi spend billions for bombarding us with sophisticated advertising designed to maximize profits without respect for public health.
"These companies are now aggressively moving into the less-regulated markets of developing countries with Coke investing USD 5 bn US in India over the next few years.
"This will only worsen existing health problems associated with sugary drinks - rising levels of chronic illness, obesity and type 2 diabetes in countries that are already ill-equipped for the health fall out," said Alexandra Jones, George Institute for Global Health.
Vivekanand Jha, Executive Director of the George Institute for Global Health said that around 2 lakh deaths occur every year due to sugar-related diseases.
"Excess sugar in the body causes multiple disorders and eventually leads to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, among other diseases. Children are the worst affected by these disorders as all marketing and advertising campaigns for sugar sweetened beverages are targeted upon them," he said.
CSE's deputy director general Chandra Bhushan told
