Calls for Coca-Cola truck to be banned from Liverpool
Symbol of festive cheer denounced as cynical event by city's local officials
The Coca-Cola truck should be banned from Liverpool this Christmas amid concerns about obesity levels, according to the leader of Lib Dems in the city.
Councillor Richard Kemp has written to bosses at the Liverpool One shopping district arguing that the truck encourages consumption of an unhealthy product, the Liverpool Echo reports.
“I believe that the visit by Coca-Cola should not take place,” Kemp says. “You only have to look around you to see that Liverpool is in the grip of an obesity epidemic - 30 per cent of our 11 years olds are obese with about five per cent being clinically obese.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“Up to 60 per cent of our adults are obese and many of them clinically obese - we must take action to deal with this because the consequences are alarming.”
Kemp believes the annual Christmas truck’s visit is a “cynical event.”
“It is not designed to welcome Christmas but to increase the consumption of a product that is grossly unhealthy,” he said.
“10 per cent of all hospital beds are occupied by people with type 2 diabetes. All of which is avoidable if people were to eat and drink properly and take enough exercise.”
A spokesman for Coca-Cola Great Britain told the BBC it had received a “positive response from many people in Liverpool” during previous visits.
He added: “People will have the opportunity to see the truck up close, have their photograph taken and enjoy a choice of a small, 150ml can of Coca-Cola Classic or one of our no sugar options, Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.”
Coca-Cola’s Christmas truck was criticised last year by leading public health expert professor John Ashton for bringing people “gifts of bad teeth and weight problems.”
However, “many people see the twinkling red truck as a symbol of festive cheer, with many members of the public arguing that in a season of indulgence, drinking one extra 150ml can of Coca-Cola doesn’t make a huge difference”, says The Independent.
Data released in November last year from the National Child Measurement Programme for England showed that nearly one in five 10 to 11-year-olds was obese in the last academic year, with more than one in three (34.2%) now described as overweight or obese.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Nan who charges family for Christmas dinner puts up price
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman solves 'rude neighbour' mystery
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Office Christmas parties give us sleepless nights
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Dead' woman nearly suffocated in morgue bag
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
World's 'smelliest cheese' hits shelves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
White Easter more likely than a white Christmas
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why Yorkshire town’s Christmas tree is still up
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published