Fight against black cola campaign wins health award

The Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch last night congratulated the Obesity Policy Coalition for being the joint winner of a VicHealth Advocacy award for opposing Coca-Cola’s “myth-busting” campaign.
The Council, along with the Parents’ Jury and ADA Inc., last year lodged a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumers Commission saying that the campaign misled and deceived consumers. The ACCC agreed that the campaign was potentially misleading and asked Coca-Cola to give court-enforceable undertakings to publish corrective advertisements in newspapers across the nation.
ADAVB’s President, Dr Anne Harrison, said the award was deserved because people should not be misled by claims that black cola drinks are healthy.
“There is ample evidence to show that the excessive consumption of acidic soft drinks is a cause of obesity and contributes to the deterioration of oral health,” she said.
The other joint winner was the Alcohol Policy Coalition for a campaign which saw a Jim Beam advertisement withdrawn when the Advertising Standards Council upheld a complaint that the advertisement associated alcohol with dangerous behaviour.