Health Campaigners Target London Eye to Protest at Coca Cola Sponsorship Deal
Health campaigners visited one of London’s most iconic landmarks over the weekend to protest at a new sponsorship deal.
Members of the Children’s Food Campaign handed out toothbrushes at the London Eye on Saturday to protest against the new sponsorship deal with Coca Cola. The eye turned red to celebrate the new deal, which has left health campaigners furious.
Malcolm Clark, from the Children’s Food Campaign, said that fizzy pop and soft drinks are one of the main reasons rates of decay are so high among young children in the UK and the new Coca Cola deal is counterproductive to any campaigns, which encourage good nutrition and restricted sugar consumption in children.
According to statistics, soft drinks make up the majority of children and teenagers’ sugar intake and experts are eager for parents and children to adopt healthier habits in line with reduced sugar consumption. Sugary foods and drinks don’t just increase the risk of decay and tooth wear, they are also fuelling soaring rates of childhood obesity.
Mr Clark said that nearly 500 children are hospitalised every week due to dental issues and therefore the deal between the London Eye and Coca Cola is inappropriate, especially as the eye is such a popular landmark and attracts so many visitors. In response to the sponsorship agreement, campaigners handed out 500 toothbrushes to passers-by.
Mr Clark has also called for a sugar tax to be introduced to reduce intake and fund new initiatives to tackle health issues, including decay and obesity. A 20p per litre tax on soft drinks would save the NHS in London alone almost £40 million per year.
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