Faced with powerful corporate interests, Save the Children gives up its advocacy of a soda tax

Two summers ago, I was accosted by a charismatic young gentleman in Harvard Square who wanted to know if I had a minute to spare for the well-being of children all around the world, and who painstakingly persuaded me that by donating Less Than A Dollar A Day!, I would be able to change the life of a small child overseas. It was at that point that I began to support the well-known international charity Save the Children. Given the persuasive nature of the aforementioned gentleman's spiel, I was naturally taken aback when I read this New York Times article about Save the Children's decision to end their advocacy of a soda tax.

The story's most upsetting plot is the almost-too-obvious role of Coca Cola and Pepsi Co. Save the Children's decision to abandon their soda tax campaign coincided with the charity's application for a "major grant" from Coca Cola, in order to finance projects addressing childhood obesity. Save the Children has also received $400,000 in donations from Coca Cola in the past decade, and over $5 million in grants from Pepsi. But these statistics (which purportedly demonstrate corporate benevolence) are dwarfed by the colossal amount of money that soft drink corporations funnel into lobbying. The article points out that in Washington State alone, the trade group that represents both soft drink giants recently spent $16.5 million in its successful campaign to overturn a minor soda tax.

Ours is a nation plagued by obesity, dental cavities, cardiac illness, and myriad other sicknesses easily attenuated by consuming less soda. Nevertheless, soft drinks, which are totally devoid of any redeeming nutritional qualities, continue to benefit from heavy indirect subsidies (CORN!). And soft drink taxes can easily generate revenue for public use, while discouraging chronic consumption of a nutritionally useless beverage. One wonders how Pepsi and Coke - who reap heavy profits because of children's over-consumption (and consequent obesity) - can earnestly donate money to charities that attempt to remedy the problems that the soft drink companies create.