Science

Coca-Cola Vows to Disclose Its Funding for Health Science Research

Trying not to become the new tobacco. 

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After a very public shaming earlier this week for its Marlboroesque attempt to skew policy and public perception by funding its own research centers, Coca-Cola says it’ll start making its scientific ties public.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal’s opinion section, Coca-Cola chief executive Muhtar Kent promised the company would be open about any investments into research or advocacy into the soft drink’s impact on public health.

“As we continue to learn, it is my hope that our critics will receive us with an open mind,” wrote Kent, in the corporate PR version of dealing with an outed Ashley Madison profile. “At times we will agree and at times we will passionately disagree.”

Maybe those passionate disagreements will focus on the provable link between drinking a cup of pure sugar and obesity, and maybe on the public health benefit of taxing giant servings of diabetes-to-be. But you know, as long as there’s still passion in the relationship. That’s how America worked through this when we lost trust in the tobacco relationship. Disclosure is hot.