Many organizations are involved in creating and selling products that are particularly harmful for human health. These products are usually addictive in nature and are found to be involved in adversely affecting our health. These corporate giants are also required to communicate their message across their target market in order to sell their products.
While the most common medium for advertising is Television; these firms often find efficient and clever ways to market their brands and to wash away the health related concerns attached with their products. Unfortunately, some non-profit regulatory firms are also indirectly involved in assisting these corporate giants.
These actions have fundamental significance for our daily lives as it reveals the grubby faces of our regulatory authorities that are given the responsibilities of the well-being of millions. However, in actual, they are found to be deviating from their core duty and obligations merely to get corporate sponsorships from big businesses like tobacco and soda manufacturers (Tobacco Analysis, 2016).
One of the prominent cases that came to light recently is linked to Massachusetts Health Council, which received heavy corporate sponsorship from Coca-Cola for hosting its annual award gala. The honorable Massachusetts Health Council does not deserve to receive any public health awards as its actions are deviating from its mission to which it is deeply associated i.e. prevention and wellness of the public health.
The Massachusetts Health Council is allegedly accused of facilitating and assisting the soda industry in marketing and promoting products that are recognizable and responsible for contributing to the country’s obesity epidemic (Tobacco Analysis, 2016). It has been exposed that the sponsors’ list of Massachusetts Health Council awards gala involves the name of Coca-Cola, which is among the largest producer of soda beverages across the globe.
We all are aware of the fact that Coke has been severely criticized for adding Aspartame as the low-calorie sweetener in Coke Zero and Diet Coke. The company used this ingredient to highlight its image of being a socially responsible brand, which cares for its people and community. Apparently, by using Aspartame, Coca-Cola emphasizes that the ingredient is used with the intention of offering the similar sweet taste but with low calories (Medical Daily, 2016). However, Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than normal sugar; that is highly hazardous to human health and therefore it increasingly resulting in Diabetes that can cause a hormonal imbalance leading to obesity. For this act, the company has been heavily charged for its fraudulent advertising and unfaithful intentions towards the community (Mercola, 2016).
The regulatory authorities like Massachusetts Health Council are responsible for facilitating such acts because including the name of Coca-Cola in its sponsorship reflects its endorsement of its business operations and activities. The underlying idea behind criticizing Coca-Cola for being Massachusetts Health Council’s sponsors explains how soda manufacturing businesses are using corporate sponsorship as a tool to elope the criticism and to enhance their public image by diverting the attention of the community and other regulatory authorities from the hidden effect of their product.
Not only this, but 96 more health and medical organization are found to be receiving funding from Coca-Cola. This has exposed the filthy intention and grubby faces of giant market rulers like Coca-Cola, as well as state authorities that are vigorously lobbying against the health measures for improving the capacities to fight against the epidemic of obesity (Food Business News, 2016).
The bottom line is that acceptance of corporate sponsorship by health regulatory organizations from firms like Tobacco manufacturers and Coca-Cola allows them to conceal the damage caused by their products behind their social contribution in order to create goodwill among the public, which eventually results in fuzziness and taking the community’s focus away from the damage (Washington Post, 2016). The corporate sponsorship is increasingly being used as a gismo to conceal social damage for the organizations that are allegedly responsible for harming the community health.
**I have no personal ill-will against the companies listed above. This blog post if solely for the purpose of this assignment**
References
Food Business News. Official Website. (2016). Retrieved From http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/news_home/Business_News/2015/05/CocaCola_has_no_plans_to_dump.aspx?ID=%7B301D4144-E0CC-4BAA-A26F-27F54244BE2F%7D&cck=1 on November 5, 2016
Medical Daily. Official Website. (2016). Retrieved From http://www.medicaldaily.com/coca-cola-spreads-lies-about-aspartame-and-dangers-artificial-sweetener-311300 on November 5, 2016
Mercola. Official Website. (2016). Retrieved From http://www.mercola.com/infographics/coke-is-a-joke.htm on November 5, 2016
Tobacco Analysis. (2016) Official Website. Retrieved From https://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/10/why-is-massachusetts-health-council.html on November 5, 2016
Washington Post. Official Website. (2016). Retrieved From https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/04/27/why-pepsis-decision-to-ditch-aspartame-isnt-good-for-soda-or-science/ on November 5, 2016