Calls to ban Coca-Cola Christmas Truck from Liverpool
A new campaign's been launched to ban the Coca-Cola truck from visiting Liverpool this Christmas - over concerns about childhood obesity.
A new campaign's been launched to ban the Coca-Cola truck from visiting Liverpool this Christmas - over concerns about childhood obesity.
Liverpool Councillor Richard Kemp has written to Liverpool One asking them to ‘Ban the Van’ and stop Coca-Cola coming to the city this winter, as part of their national marketing campaign.
In his letter Cllr Kemp says, “In Liverpool sugar is the new tobacco. At the age of 11, 30% of our children are obese, 10% of them clinically obese. Almost all of them will become obese adults with a cost to the NHS of £5.1 billion a year. This, of course, takes no account of the personal misery of the conditions which have to be treated; the shortened lives that many of them will have and the cost to businesses they work for because of sick leave.
The causes of childhood obesity are many and the actions that are needed to deal with them are even more varied. There is, however, one thing on which everyone agrees. Too many children are drinking too many fizzy, sugary drinks. That is why last year in the run-up to Christmas I was appalled to see a big promotion by you of Coca-Cola when its red vans visited L1 as part of its advertising campaign tour around the Country. This to my mind, and the mind of many others, glorifies the sale of something which is often consumed in vast quantities with people having little knowledge of just how dangerous the sugar content can be to the long-term health of them and their children”.
Cllr Kemp is asking Lib Dems and other public health campaigners to similarly seek to ban the van in their area. He says, “Coca-Cola is the most visible sugary fizzy drinks promoter in the World and any action we can take both here and abroad will lead to major health advantages for children and adults.
It's sparked big reaction on our Twitter page though - Owen Williams says "Some people are just miserable and will try and justify it by using situations like this. Wrong way to achieve a needed goal."
Danny Brombey agrees, saying "what I joke. Cigarettes directly lead to DEATH!! We're never gonna ban those are we. It's not cokes fault kids are fat."
And Jamie Dempsey also thinks it's a bad idea - he says "do they not realise its not about getting a bottle of Coke its all about the Christmas spirit seeing the world famous truck."
You can send us your thoughts by tweeting @radiocitynews.