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BREAKING NEWS

Indianapolis Alternative Medicine Examiner, "Could vitaminwater lawsuit leave product all washed up?" By Becky Oberg, July 23, 2010
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" 'Plaintiffs’ allegations sufficiently state a claim that defendants have violated FDA regulations by making health claims about vitaminwater even though it does not meet required minimum nutritional thresholds, by using the word "healthy" in implied nutrient content claims even though vitaminwater’s fortification does not comply with FDA policy, and by using a product name that references only two of vitaminwater’s ingredients, omitting the fact that there is a key, unnamed ingredient [sugar] in the product,' wrote Judge John Gleeson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York."
Complaint CSPI vs. Coca-Cola


Video, "VitaminWater Lawsuit"

Center for Science in the Public Interest, "Lawsuit Over Deceptive VitaminWater Claims to Proceed," July 23, 2010
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"WASHINGTON—A federal judge has denied Coca-Cola’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit over what the Center for Science in the Public Interest says are deceptive and unsubstantiated claims on the company’s 'vitaminwater' line of soft drinks. The company claims that vitaminwater variously reduces the risk of chronic disease, reduces the risk of eye disease, promotes healthy joints, and supports optimal immune function, and uses health buzz words such as 'defense,' 'rescue,' 'energy,' and 'endurance' on labels."

PRNewswire, "NLRB: Atlanta Coca-Cola Enterprise Employees to Get Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Back Pay: Teamsters Settle Series of Unfair Labor Practices with CCE," By Teamsters Local 728, Atlanta, July 23, 2010
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"The NLRB has required Coca-Cola to post a notice to employees stating the company will not interfere with their right to form a union, grant the retroactive raise to the Marietta employees, and rescind an unjust discipline issued to a key union activist."
Teamster flyer: "We Have a Date! The Time is Now for Change at CCE Atlanta!


"Jeffrey Wright speaking at Union Rally
encouraging CCE workers to stay strong and
reminding them that together we have the POWER!"
Read Jeffrey Wright's "What Coca-Cola Did to Stop the Union from Coming In."

At the Coca-Cola annual meeting on April 21, 2010, a representative of the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke spoke, aiming his comments at Coke CEO Muhtar Kent: "Your efforts to be as union-free as possible and to undermine union organizing at your bottling facilities right here in the U.S. — in Georgia — were addressed in a book, 'What Coca-Cola Did to Stop the Union from Coming In,' by former Coke worker, Jeffrey Wright. Today, Teamster demonstrators outside are protesting Coke's efforts to prevent union organizing in the U.S."

Congratulations, Teamsters Local 728!

Appetite for Profit, "Family doctors debate if they should take Coke money, after they took it," By Michele Simon, July 22, 2010
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"Dr. Howard Brody, AAFP member and director of the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He's not in favor of the idea: The physician has a duty to prescribe medications or make dietary recommendations based on scientific evidence. The companies have an interest in selling more beverages, or more drugs, regardless of the evidence."

Polaris Institute, "Protest at Coca Cola plant in India reaches 3,000 days," July 12, 2010
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"G. Prabhakaran, 12 July 2010, The Hindu PALAKKAD - The agitation against alleged exploitation of groundwater by soft drink major Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. at Plachimada, a remote village in Perumatty grama panchayat in Chittur taluk, completed 3,000 days on Friday.

"The agitation has been described as a struggle by the local people to establish their right to natural resources such as soil and water and a fight to protect their livelihood of agriculture."

The Consumerist, "Burger King And Coca Cola Both Caught Badvertising In The UK," By Chris Morran, July 21, 2010
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"Meanwhile, the folks at Coca Cola have some explaining to do after a Facebook promotion to push Dr. Pepper (which Coke distributes in the UK) ended up pointing people in the direction of one of the internet's most infamous -- and disgusting -- videos. The Facebook campaign used the accounts of users who signed up to post supposedly humorous status updates about the beverage. Alas, one of those messages was 'I watched 2 Girls 1 Cup and felt hungry afterwards.' "
Coca-Cola apologizes for Dr. Pepper's "2 Girls 1 Cup" Facebook snafu," By Laura Shunk, July 20 2010

FoodConsumer, "Is This Popular Sports Drink [VitaminWater] as Damaging as Coca-Cola? By Dr. Mercola, July 17, 2010
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"It's very fitting that Coca-Cola owns the Vitaminwater brand, as this beverage is closer to soda than it is to water. And as you may remember, Coca-Cola was actually sued last year in a class-action lawsuit that contended the Vitaminwater line was being illegally promoted as a healthy product.

" 'Vitaminwater is Coke's attempt to dress up soda in a physician's white coat. Underneath, it's still sugar water, albeit sugar water that costs about ten bucks a gallon,' said litigation director Steve Gardner of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)."

KillerCola Flashmob 1 & 2, July 6, 2010
Two videos from our Polish friends

Watch Flashmob 1 Video

Watch Flashmob 2 Video

The New York Times, "VENTURE CAPITAL: Case Study: Can Honest Tea Say No to Coke?" By Elizabeth Olson, July 8, 2010
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"But meshing Honest Tea’s socially responsible, ecologically aware, small-company sensibility with the huge international brand of Coke has not always gone smoothly. A few months after the deal, Coke started vetting Honest Tea’s ingredients to make sure they complied with federal requirements and noticed Honest Kids’ packaging had prominent lettering that promised: 'no high-fructose corn syrup.' Executives at Coke construed the phrase as an implicit rebuke of its products, some of which contained the controversial factory-produced syrup. 'We got a strong request to change the wording,' Mr. Goldman said.”

Softpedia, "Woman Talks Coca Cola Addiction, Being Overweight Because of It: Lisa McKay gained over 120kg, required gastric bypass to kick off her addiction," By Elena Gorgan, July 6, 2010
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"‘It was difficult giving up drinking Coke. I was addicted to it and I had severe withdrawal symptoms after stopping. I was suffering from shakes. The gastric band operation was the best thing I’ve done. I haven’t drunk a mouthful of Coke since and I never will again. I would buy a box of 30 cans of Coke and it would last me a day and a half. I didn’t realize that there was so much sugar in Coke that would make me so fat. The more Coke I drank, the more hungry I became too,' ”
Mirror, Mum kicks 20 Coca-Cola a day habit and loses 10 stone," By Matt Roper, July 7, 2010

examiner.com, "Mayor Newsom directs say no to soda: Another Northern California city bans soda on public property," July , 2010
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"Following a similar Santa Clara policy passed in 2008, San Francisco institutes a ban on soda."
San Francisco Chronicle, "Sugary-drink ban starts to affect S.F. sites," By John Coté, July 6, 2010
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"That includes non-diet sodas, sports drinks and artificially sweetened water. Juice must be 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice with no added sweeteners. Diet sodas can be no more than 25 percent of the items offered, the directive says. There should be 'ample choices' of water, 'soy milk, rice milk and other similar dairy or non dairy milk,' says the directive, which also covers fat and sugar content in vending machine snacks...

"The mayor's administration points to studies linking soda to obesity, including a UCLA one released last year that found adults who drink at least one soft drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be obese than those who don't, and that soda consumption is fueling the state's $41 billion annual obesity problem. The study also found that 41 percent of children and 62 percent of teens drink at least one soda daily."

The Standard, "New StupidJuice does the trick, too bad about the antibodies," July 6, 2010
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" 'This is StupidJuice!' I exclaimed, laughing like a maniac. 'You are selling StupidJuice for 100 times the original price.' The service staff had no idea what I was talking about, but nodded nervously while phoning the mall security department. It was too weird. Rich yuppies were lining up to buy a product identical to the scam fruit juices sold in Asia two decades ago.

"I phoned a business reporter and asked: 'Who makes this stuff? Why is there no logo on the bottle?' He laughed, explaining: 'The logo has been omitted because it might give buyers a clue that it is not really a fruit-based health drink at all. A Coca-Cola subsidiary makes the most expensive colored sugar- water on the planet. Coke has taken a US$4.1 billion (HK$31.98 billion) bet on human stupidity.' " [This is VitaminWater.]

Blip.tv, "The Coca-Cola Case:An Interview With Ray Rogers On the 'Killer Coke' Campaign,"
Watch Video
Ray Rogers, the campaign coordinator of the Killer Coke campaign is interviewed about the film "The Coca-Cola Case". The company has systematically engaged in a campaign to murder and terrorize union organizers in Colombia and Guatemala. The film is about the case in Federal Court in Florida to put them on trial for the murders and rapes of Coca-Cola workers and their families. The Coca-Cola Case (81 min.) By Carmen Garcia and German Gutierrez (2009) - Canada This important film shows the struggle to get justice for the workers and their families of the Coke bottling plant workers in Colombia. These workers have been terrorize, murdered and raped by the Colombian company owners in complicity with US executives and are fighting for a trial for these crimes in Florida. Over 1400 Colombian trade unionists have been assassinated for union activity in past years and US companies are intimately involved in some of these murders. Through interviews with the lawyers, the conspiracy of the Coca-Cola company to destroy unions and violate democratic rights is a threat to workers and people throughout the world and this films exposes these criminal connections.
Watch the trailer of 'The Coca-Cola Case'

Green Left, "Pakistan: What has Coke got to hide?" July 4, 2010
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"Having informed both TCC [Coca-Cola] and CCI [Coca-Cola Icecek] of the IUF’s intention to challenge the loan application owing to the company’s serial violations of basic rights at their Multan plant in Pakistan’s Punjab district, the IUF made an official complaint to the IFC, backed by substantial documentation — only to be told that CCBPL had withdrawn its application...

"So why would Coke walk away at the last minute from $60 million on easy terms? Was it worried its claims to meet the Performance Standards couldn't withstand IFC scrutiny once the IUF filed its formal complaint?

"In response to the IUF complaint, the IFC would have needed to revisit its evaluation of the loan application and particularly the degree to which the applicant respected its standards.

"If CCBPL’s labour rights record was so grossly at odds with the company’s claims, what else about the operation might emerge from an IFC investigation? The potential risks were apparently sufficiently troubling for Coke’s Pakistan bottler CCBPL to turn its back on the IFC money."

The Wall Street Journal, "Coke's Kerala Problems Bubble Up," By Arlene Chang, July 5, 2010
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"The Kerala cabinet last week approved the setting up of a tribunal to recover payment worth 2.16 billion rupees ($48 million) from Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages for alleged damage caused to the environment by its Plachimada bottling plant in Palakkad."

From 'The Ecologist':

The Ecologist, "Coca-Cola 'misleading' investors over water use in India," April 23, 2010
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"Campaigners accuse Coca-Cola CEO of not being open with investors about the potential liabilities it faces for environmental damage in water-stressed areas of India."

The Ecologist, "Coca-Cola just part of India’s water ‘free-for-all’," By Tom Levitt, December 4, 2009
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"Water scarcity and mis-management in India are creating a significant human and ecological crisis that will only be worsened by climate change."

The Ecologist, "Behind the label: Diet Coke," By Pat Thomas, June 1, 2006
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"Far from being the healthy drink implied by its sports sponsorships, Diet Coke is a worrying cocktail of neurotoxic and potentially carcinogenic chemicals."

Business Standard, "Kerala to set up tribunal over Coca-Cola Issue," July 2, 2010
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"The Kerala cabinet has decided to establish a tribunal for awarding compensation to people affected by a production plant of Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Private Limited (HCCB) at Plachimada in Palakkad district."
Read Press Release-India Resource Center
"In a major step towards holding Coca-Cola accountable for damages it has caused in India, the state government of Kerala decided on Wednesday to move forward with the formation of a tribunal that will hear and award compensation claims against the Coca-Cola company."
"Coca-Cola Liable for US$ 48 Million for Damages – Government Committee," March 22, 2010, India Resource Center

The Washington Post, "How nutritious is Vitaminwater?" [owned by Coca-Cola], By Jennifer LaRue Huget, July 1, 2010
Read Article
" 'Vitaminwater,' she concludes, 'is a marketing ploy.'

"Critics have bashed Vitaminwater for being a calorie trap... 'Once you go beyond what you need, you urinate it out,' Sandon says. 'You're peeing that money away.'

"A multivitamin is a better option when trying to supplement your diet, she says, because Vitaminwater doesn't provide a full complement of nutrients as does One-a-Day or Centrum."

Business Standard (India), "New divisions emerge in Govt on Coca-Cola," By Goerge Joseph, June 30, 2010
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"The report, submitted to the state assembly on March 22, said that the Coca Cola plant had caused serious damage to the environment of the village leading to a loss to the tune of Rs 216.25 crore. It said the plant damaged the agriculture sector by giving hazardous waste as manure. The committee also recommended constitution of a separate tribunal to provide adequate compensation to the affected, citing the limits on its own mandate."

Axis of Logic, "Colombia: Leader of Deathsquads Wins Colombian Election," By James Petras, June 28, 2010
Rread Article
"Juan Manuel Santos, notorious Defense Minister in the regime of outgoing President Alvaro Uribe and closely identified with high crimes against humanity 'won' the recent Presidential elections in Colombia, June 2010. The major electronic and print media CNN, FOX News, Washington Post, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the once liberal Financial Times (FT) hailed Santos election, as a great victory for democracy. According to the FT, 'Colombia not Venezuela is (the) best model for Latin America' (FT 6/23/2010 p. 8). Citing Santos 'overwhelming' margin – he garnered 69% of the vote, the FT claimed he won a 'strong mandate' (FT 6/22/2010). In what has to be one of the most flagrant cover-ups in recent history, the media accounts exclude the most egregious facts about the elections and the profoundly authoritarian policies pursued by Santos over the past decade."

Orissadiary, "Orissa: Death toll in Coca Cola bottling unit mishap increased to three," June 26, 2010
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"Report by Orissadiary correspondent; Khurdha : The death toll in Coca Cola bottling unit mishap at Khurda on Saturday increased to three. Banabihari Behera, a labourer who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital at Cuttack Saturday evening. Earlier, two other labourers namly Ranjit Mohanty and Madhusudan Behera were died on Friday.

"Seven labourers were injured when the boiler at the soft drink plant exploded yesterday. All the labourers were first admitted to a hospital in Khurda and later three were shifted to private clinics in Cuttack. In view of tension adequate police force has been deployed at the plant site."
Press Release, India Resource Center, "Three Workers Killed In Coca-Cola Factory Explosion in India" Police Arrest Three Coca-Cola India Officials
Read Article in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

IUF, "The Pause that Represses: Coca-Cola Pakistan Greets New Union with Death Threats, Abduction, Extortion and Dismissals," June 18, 2010
Read Article
"Since forming a union at Coca-Cola's bottling plant in the southern Pakistan city of Multan in June 2009, members have met with death threats, abduction, firings, extortion, forgery and fraud. Management's vicious response to the workers' fight for a union is a story drenched with violence, corruption, sleaze and escalating criminality."
Send a protest message to Ed Potter and others at Coke

altmuslimah, "A fearless leader: An interview with Vandana Shiva," By Sarah Jawaid, June 18, 2010
Read Article
"You worked closely with the women of Kerala, India who peacefully protested a Coca-Cola plant which was polluting their water. Do you have stories of women who left an impression on you?

"Mylamma. She was the tribal woman who started the protest. I was invited by her and her friends to celebrate a year of them protesting Coca-Cola. Initially, I didn’t know the women or what know what Coca-Cola was doing. I learned that Coca-Cola was literally stealing the water of the community. And, here were these courageous women trying to put a stop to it. I helped them develop legal and political strategies to push the movement along and in 2004, the Coca-Cola plant was shut down. It has been shut since then. Mylamma passed away two years ago, but her legacy continues."

The National Organization of Legal Services Workers (NOLSW), UAW Local 2320, AFL-CIO, "Resolution to Boycott Coca-Cola Beverages," June 2010
The Union's Website
Resolution to Boycotts Coca-Cola Beverages

RESOLVED, that the National Organization of Legal Service Workers, UAW Local 2320 will ban all Coke products from all its meetings and events;

RESOLVED, that the National Organization of Legal Service Workers, UAW Local 2320, calls on its members to initiate and support campaigns in schools, labor unions and public institutions, etc. to similarly hold The Coca-Cola Company accountable by removing all Coke machines and Coke beverages and banning the sale and advertising of Coke products;

RESOLVED, that the National Organization of Legal Service Workers, UAW Local 2320 calls on the United Auto Workers (UAW) and all other unions to adopt a similar Resolution;

RESOLVED, that until The Coca-Cola Company can prove that it has taken genuine remedial actions to become a responsible corporate citizen, the call for this ban on Coca-Cola products by the National Organization of Legal Service Workers, UAW Local 2320 will remain in effect.

Press Release, "Coca-Cola’s Ed Potter Prevents Colombia From Making ILO 'Most Wanted List'," Campaign to Stop Killer Coke, June 10, 2010
Read Press Release from the Campaign
"...Colombia’s largest union confederation, the United Workers Central (CUT), announced that the business sector of the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO), led by The Coca-Cola Company’s Director of Global Labor Relations Ed Potter, successfully maneuvered to keep Colombia off the list of 25 countries which the ILO will monitor in light of those countries’ abuses of worker and labor union rights."
Read CUT's announcement
"Reality is that the Colombian State has not complied with the observations and recommendations ofthe ILO organs of control, and this reality does not change because this year Colombia is not on the list of cases of the Standards Committee."

Video, "Coca-Cola, Take Down That Ugly Sign!" June 11, 2010, By Paul Weiss
Watch Video
"The soda pop company is polluting an important Argentine cultural and national site in Buenos Aires with tasteless commercials on a huge LCD screen. Blogger (On The Journey) & video essayist Paul Weiss claims Coke is 'branding' Argentina's most famous cultural and national icon, the 660-foot Obelisco and demands they take it down."

Guardian, "Mexico bans junk foods in schools: Government orders end to fried foods and sweets on school grounds in fight against childhood obesity," By Jo Tuckman, May 27, 2010 guardian.co.uk, Thursday 27 May 2010 20.02 BST
Read Article
"The Mexican government is to ban junk food and fry-ups in primary and secondary schools in an effort to combat one of the worst obesity problems in the world.

"From the beginning of the next school year, school shops will no longer be allowed to stock fizzy drinks, sugar-stuffed fruit juices, processed snacks, or more local delights such as chilli soaked sweets. Nor will school kitchens offer traditional standards such as fried tacos...

"The school ban comes after years of resistance from corporations such as Coca Cola and Pepsi..."

Garforth today, "Wakefield Coca-Cola workers in strike ballot," By Stuart Robingson, June 9, 2010
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"The unions claim the company is refusing to consult on major changes to conditions of employment, and is not negotiating on basic pay increases."

Press Association, " Coca-Cola staff to vote on strikes," June 7, 2010
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"Thousands of workers at drinks giant Coca-Cola are to be balloted for industrial action in a row over employment conditions and bargaining rights, it has been announced...The unions accused the company of refusing to consult on major changes to conditions of employment, and of not negotiating on basic pay increases."

Bloomberg Businessweek, "Hugo Chavez decrees seizures of more companies," By Ian James, June 6, 2010
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"Chavez also expressed concern about 'water that transnational companies have privatized,' and he mentioned Coca-Cola and Pepsi."

The Lantern (Ohio State University), "How is Coke money spent?" By Jack Moore, June 1, 2010
Read Article
"It’s no secret what lies inside the red and white vending machines that dot Ohio State’s campus. Since 1998, OSU has had an exclusive contract with Coca-Cola. But details of the deal, which was renewed in 2008 for at least $33 million, and how money is distributed from it have often been as elusive as Coke’s secret recipe."

The Lantern (Ohio State University), "Coke contract shrouded in secrecy," By Jack Moore, May 31, 2010
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"Coca-Cola’s formula for its sugary sweet soda is under lock and key, guarded by Coke as a trade secret. Now, Ohio State and Coke say that parts of the exclusive contract between the beverage giant and OSU, which was renewed in 2008, are also trade secrets and should be kept from public view, even though contracts at comparable universities are not."

See full chart at 'Responsible Shopper'

Green Left (Australia), "Colombia: Challenging ‘Killer Coke’," By Paul Benedek & Marcela Escauriaza, May 30, 2010
Read Article
"Despite the many murders of unionists at its plants, Coke tries to cry poor to justify not compensating victims of anti-union violence. However, The Coca Cola Case explains Coke pays US$2.6 million for a single 30 second advertisement during the US Superbowl.

"Paez said: 'We are campaigning for a boycott — if you love life, don’t drink Coke. We want to see Coke expelled from schools, sporting complexes, cultural centres and community spaces.' ”

El Universal, "Coca-Cola como San Pedro," Alberto Barranco, 12 de mayo de 2010
En Español
"Integrado, en la paradoja de acumular acciones de la compañía, a la asamblea general de accionistas de Coca Cola a nivel corporativo, el principal activista contra su causa, Rey Rogers, llevó el caso México al escenario de ésta, espetando al presidente mundial de la firma. Estamos hablando del litigio que enfrenta la empresa ante el reclamo de un ex ejecutivo que laboró 16 años en ella, acusándola de simulación en su contratación, dado que habiendo trabajado para el corporativo y su filial en México, su adscripción la tenía una firma outsourcing creada por la propia Coca Cola."
Concienciaradio.com

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "At Coca-Cola, age is experience," By Jeremiah McWilliams, May 23, 2010
Read Article
"Coca-Cola’s shareholder meeting at the cavernous Gwinnett Center in Duluth was wrapping up last month when John Evans rose from his seat in the audience after CEO Muhtar Kent asked for questions. 'The board of directors is just too old!' Evans said into the microphone, eliciting chuckles and a smattering of applause from the crowd. 'And they need to be replaced. And I can say that safely because I’m 77 myself. I think we need a young movement.' "

Penn & Teller, "The Truth About Bottled Water"

Click here or above to see the video

Natural News, "Coca-Cola's murderous record of anti-union activity in Colombia exposed," By Ethan A. Huff, May 22, 2010
Read Article
"The Campaign's offensive tactics against Coca-Cola are having an impact. Considering that Coca-Cola is one of the most powerful multi-national corporations in the world, it is impressive that numerous institutions of higher learning have already banned Coca-Cola products, and many more are taking steps to ban them as well. As awareness continues to increase, a point of critical mass will be achieved for which Coca-Cola will have to acknowledge and address the issue."
Read the article in the Salem-News

The New York Times, "ECONOMIC SCENE: The Battle Over Taxing Soda," By David Leonhardt, May 18, 2010
Read Article
"The argument for a soda tax is the same as the argument for a tax on tobacco, pollution or, for that matter, banks that take big, expensive risks. When an activity imposes costs on society, economists have long said that the activity should be taxed. Doing so accomplishes two goals: it discourages the activity, and it raises money to help pay society’s costs.

"In the case of soda, those costs come in the form of medical bills for diabetes, heart disease and other side effects of obesity. We’re all paying these bills, via Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance premiums. Obesity has become a significant cause of our swelling long-term budget deficit.

"And soda is a huge reason the country is so much more obese. The typical American consumes almost three times as many calories from sugary drinks as in the late 1970s. This increase accounts for about half the total per-capita rise in calorie consumption over the same period. Remember, many of these drinks have zero nutritional benefit — unlike meat, cheese or juice."

Dallas Blog, "San Antonio to Ban Unhealthy Food and Drinks on City Property," By Tom McGregor, May 18, 2010
Read Article
"According to the San Antonio Express-News, 'City Manager Sheryl Sculley has declared war on sugar. Well, at least when it comes to sodas and candy bars. Sugary sodas no longer have a home in the city’s 250 beverage vending machines and unhealthy foods in the 25 snack machines in city facilities are next.'

"Sculley said, 'I asked the staff to remove the high-calorie soda drinks from our vending machines. I’m a fitness person and I care about our employees, and I want them to be healthy. And I think this is a very small gesture.' ”

Centro de Estudios del Trabajo, "El Caso Caoca Cola: Documental
Read Article in Español

New Book by B Wardlaw, "Coca-Cola Anarchist"
B Wardlaw, philanthropist and large Coke shareholder, has been a consistent critic of The Coca-Cola Co. for not having used its influence to improve human rights around the world, particularly in China and Latin America.

Go to Site
"Anarchist – One who believes in the inviolability of life, the primary value of the individual, mutual aid to one’s fellow humans, egalitarianism, and co-operation on all levels of society, a philosophy upheld by no party line and no sacred texts." - Johnson Thomas (1937-2009)

"This is an important and perceptive memoir that provides insight into the counter-culture movement of the 1960s and social justice movement of the 1980s with its concern for helping the homeless and its opposition to public authority. B Wardlaw provides a moving account of why he joined these movements and the personal struggles he faced." - Clifford Clark, Professor of History, Carleton College

"From brazen antics around the White House lawn while working with the Community for Creative Non-Violence in Washington, D.C. to the touching scenes of his mother’s final days in Atlanta, B Wardlaw’s story follows the unexpected turns of a tumultuous life. A fortune inherited from his grandfather left him free to express his compassion for the outcast, the prisoner, and the persecuted in concrete ways. This engaging memoir will make you laugh out loud and bring tears to your eyes as it introduces you to a Southern voice you have not heard before." - Kathleen Cleaver. Senior Lecturer, Emory University School of Law; editor of Eldridge Cleaver’s Target Zero: A Life in Writing; and author of the forthcoming Memories of Love and War.

BBC, "Coca-Cola 'sickie' ad attacked by Lord Digby Jones," May 6, 2010
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"The former head of the CBI, Lord Digby Jones, has criticised Coca-Cola over labelling that appears to condone taking unauthorised sick days."

Counterpunch, "Killer-Coke Hits the Screens," By Billy Wharton, May 5, 2010
Read Article
" 'Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola,' Bob Dylan sang in 1971, 'Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola!' After forty years of corporate globalization, Dylan would be hard pressed to find a place that isn’t the land of Coca-Cola . Multinationals have torn up the globe converting the repression of workers into cheap labor and free trade agreements into new market opportunities all in the name of ever-increasing profit margins. Left in their wake are legacies of environmental destruction, corrupt governments and employer violence. This process is precisely what a documentary currently making the rounds in campus political circles, by German Gutierrez and Carmen Garcia’s entitled “The Cola-Case,” aims to expose...

"The union attempts to maintain its position inside of the bottling plants while shuttling between street campaigning in Colombia and speaking tours across North America. Ray Rogers develops an effective public relations campaign that proves capable of mobilizing activists on college campuses throughout the United States in support of the Colombian trade unionists. Simultaneously, the attorneys, backed by the financial muscle of the United Steel Workers and the International Human Rights Fund, attempt to exploit an obscure US tort law that allows foreign nationals to pursue claims against US-based companies."
Read the Article in Examiner.com

The National (Abu Dhabi, UAE), "All you need to know about Coca-Cola," May 7, 2010
Read Article
"THE CONVERSATION: Coke’s high-fructose corn syrup is said to aggravate obesity and type-2 diabetes. The company has also been accused of overly aggressive marketing to children, exploitative work practices, having high levels of pesticides and monopolistic business practices."

Care2.com, "Have a Coke and a Smile? Maybe Not: Coke Disses BPA-Worried Shareholders," By Cynthia Samuels, May 5, 2010
Read Article
"At Coca-Cola's annual shareholders' meeting last month, nearly a quarter of them called on the beverage behemoth to come clean about its use of bisphenol-A (BPA) in the linings of its cans. These concerned investors voted for a resolution urging Coke to make public how it is responding to the growing public anxiety over its use of the toxic, gender-bending chemical. Coke thinks shareholders don't need to know - even though they asked. Coke, being Coke, decided that this wasn't information that those who invest in the company should be privy to."

FoodQualitynews.com, "Coca-Cola dismisses BPA criticisms as shareholder coalition vows to fight on," By Rory Harrington, April 22, 2010
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"Some 22 per cent of Coca-Cola shareholders yesterday voted in favour of a resolution urging the company to disclose how it is responding to public fears over bisphenol A (BPA) used in the linings of Coke’s beverage cans. But in a statement sent to FoodProductionDaily.com prior to the vote at its annual meeting, the soft drinks giant dismissed the proposal, saying it did not think the information requested 'would be useful to our shareholders' ”.

Art Threat, "Report from Hot Docs: Bhutto, Budrus, and a questionable contract with Coke," by Ezra Winton, MAY 4, 2010
Read Article>
"And now finally, the ethics of the fest: I plan on writing about this more in the future, but for now I’d like to flag a huge problem with this year’s edition of Hot Docs. Organizers have made the massive mistake, ethically inexplicable as it is, of signing on with none other than Coca-Cola as their, get this, environmental film sponsor. At many of the social events I accosted Hot Docs management about the festival facilitating greenwashing for one of the world’s worst human rights and environmental abusers..."

Upside Down World, "Movie Review: The Coca-Cola Case," By Lainie Cassel, May 3, 2010
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"Although only slightly mentioned in the film, organizing by groups pushing for boycotts on college campuses has been one of the most successful tactics of the anti-Coke campaign. Close to 200 universities have started Killer Coke chapters and many have been effective in actually banning Coke from their campuses...Beyond college campuses, the highly visible campaign has also attracted activists all over North America, while the Killer Coke logo has become recognizable in Latin America as well."

Sin Permiso, "Esa inocente coca-cola…," By Gregorio Morán, May 2, 2010
Read Article [in Spanish/En Español]
"Llevamos un par de siglos dándole vueltas a la libertad de expresión frente a las instituciones y hemos llegado a unos grados de autonomía, irregulares y viciados, pero aceptables en ocasiones, donde la prensa y los medios de comunicación pueden criticar a la judicatura, al ejército, a la iglesia. Levemente por supuesto y según el principio hoy sagrado de la corrección política. Lo que aún no sabemos es dónde figuran los derechos de la ciudadanía frente a las grandes empresas, auténticas instituciones internacionales frente a las cuales una persona es menos que un ciudadano, es un consumidor; una nada que paga."

The Tribune, "Opposition, NGOs, farmers allege exploitation of water resources: Coca Cola’s Guntur plant runs into trouble," May 2, 2010
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"A Coca Cola plant in Guntur district of AndhraPradesh has incurred the wrath of opposition parties, NGOs and farmers for “exploiting local water resources and causing pollution”. Bowing to mounting pressure from the Opposition and farmers’ bodies, the state government has reversed its earlier order of allocating 21.50 lakh litres of water per day for the factory located near Atmakur village in the coastal district of Guntur."

Scientific American, "Underage, Overweight: The Federal Government Needs to Halt the Marketing of Unhealthy Foods to Kids," By The Editors, May 2010
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"Unfortunately, like the tobacco industry before it, the food industry cannot be trusted to self-regulate in this regard. In a study published in the March Pediatrics, investigators looked at the prevalence of food and beverage brands in movies released between 1996 and 2005. They noted, for instance, that although Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have pledged to not advertise during children’s television programming, their products routinely appear in movies aimed at kids."

For more news in 2010, goto www.KillerCoke.org/news.htm

David Rovics, Coke is the Drink of the Death Squads
Click here or below.

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FAIR USE NOTICE. Many of these documents contain copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Campaign to Stop Killer Coke is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of corporate accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

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May 6, 2010 Newsletter
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Public Newsletter Archive

"10 Critical Talking Points," February 14, 2007
Read Talking Points in html

The Bottled Water Issue

Deval Patrick Exposed

News Archive 2009
News Archive 2007News Archive 2008
News Archive 2005News Archive 2006
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THE TWO FACES OF COCA-COLA

Isidro Segundo Gil, an employee at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Colombia, was killed at his workplace by paramilitary thugs. His children, now living in hiding with relatives, understand all too well why their homeland is known as "a country where union work is like carrying a tombstone on your back. Learn More

Douglas Daft, former Chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Co., raked in more than $105 million in compensation for 2001. He owns 3.5 million Coke shares and 9,413 shares of SunTrust, where he sits on the Board of Directors. Since this brochure was written, there have been a number of changes in the Board of Directors Learn More

Read "The SunTrust/Coca-Cola $ix-Pack: Getting Away with Murder"
Read "The SunTrust/Coca-Cola $ix-Pack: Getting Away with Murder" — En Español

Dear Coca-Cola Board Members,

I am shocked to learn of your indifference to the safety of workers who bottle your products. There are undisputed reports that Coca-Cola bottling plant managers in Colombia, South America, allowed and encouraged paramilitary death squads to murder, torture and kidnap SINALTRAINAL leaders and members in an effort to crush their union. Since this leaflet was written, there have been a number of changes in the Board of Directors

Download Petition
Download Petition (ESP)
Download Petition (FRA)
Download Petition (ITA)
Download Petition (GER)

Dear SunTrust Banks Board Members,

If "The Real Thing" won't do the right thing in Colombia and elsewhere, SunTrust should sever all ties to Coca-COla."

Download Petition

Royal Bank of Canada:


'Dump Reinhard from Your Board or We'll Dump You!"

Download Petition in English
Download Petition in French

Stand up for Labor and Human Rights


Boycott SunTrust, the Bank of Killer Coke

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Find a leaflet customized for your college, university, high school, union or community. If you don't see it here, contact us at stopkillercoke@aol.com and we will customize one for you.

Go to our list of customized flyers

Click here for Coke Flyer Side 1 — Click here for Coke Flyer Side 2


REPORTS


Click here for our Reports section

Coca-Cola Board of Directors


The following information is to help individuals and groups communicate their feelings directly to the top policymakers of The Coca-Cola Co. Groups may want to organize leafletting, demonstrations and letter writing campaigns at the principal offices of these directors: View Contact List

High Power Committee to Asses the Extent of Damages Caused by the Coca-Cola Plant at Plachimada, India, "Abstract: REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE HIGH POWER COMMITTEE ON THE EXTENT OF DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE COCA COLA PLANT AT PLACHIMADA, PALAKKAD DISTRICT," March 22, 2010
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We received an email from S. Faizi, environmental expert on the committee that wrote this report: "The Report of the High Power Committee to Assess the Extent of Damages Caused by the Coca Cola Plant at Plachimada and Claiming Compensation was submitted to the govt of Kerala today. We have gathered impeccable evidence to show the depletion and pollution of groundwater caused by the company...The multidisciplinary, 14 member committee was set up by the Kerala govt. in April 2009. It was chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary Mr K Jayakumar and included heads of various depts. I was its environment expert member. Early in the course of the Committee’s work Coca-Cola had sent us a threatening letter which we had chosen to ignore."

2010 Complaint on behalf of Coca-Cola workers in Guatemala against The Coca-Cola Co.
"This case involves a campaign of violence—including rape, murder, and attempted murder—against trade unionists and their families by Coca-Cola bottling and processing plants in Guatemala under the control and supervision of the management of Defendant the Coca-Cola Company."

Press Release from Campaign to Stop Killer Coke

SINALTRAINAL et al, v. The Coca-Cola Company, et al., March 31, 2008
View Plaintiffs' Opening Brief
Summary: Advancing the legal efforts began with the United Steelworkers Union in 2001, IRAdvocates is working to hold Coca-Cola accountable for the murder and torture of trade union leaders in Colombia. This case also pioneered the use of a focused corporate campaign tied to the demands made by the Plaintiffs (see www.Killercoke.org). The case is currently pending in the 11th Circuit, and the parties have been in protracted discussions in an effort to resolve the issues.

Status: Plaintiffs' Opening Brief in Sinaltrainal, et. al. v. The Coca-Cola Company, et. al. was filed in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on March 31, 2008

International Labor Rights Fund, "ILRF & USW Bring New Complaint Against Coca-Cola, Alleging Complicity With the Colombian DAS and AUC Paramilitaries In Killing of Labor Leader," June 2, 2006
Read Press Advisory
"On Friday, June 2, 2006, the ILRF and USW filed a new Alien Tort Claims Act case against the Coca-Cola Company and its Latin American Bottler, Coca-Cola FEMSA. This new Complaint charges that managers at the Coke bottling plant in Barranquilla, Colombia conspired with both the Colombian Administrative Department of Security ("DAS") and the AUC paramilitaries to intimidate, threaten and ultimately kill SINALTRAINAL trade union leader Adolfo de Jesus Munera on August 31, 2002. The Complaint further allege that, despite a number of warnings to Coca-Cola management in Atlanta that the management at the Barranquilla bottler has continued to meet with and provide plant access to paramilitaries, the paramilitary infiltration of this bottling plant continues unabated to this day. Meanwhile, these same paramilitaries have continued to threaten SINALTRAINAL members and leaders with death and even kidnapped the child of one SINALTRAINAL leader to pressure him into refraining from his union activities."
Read 2006 Complaint

ATCA Complaint Against Coke — Coca-Cola (Coke) Sued for Human Rights Abuses in Colombia: United Steel Workers Union and the International Labor Rights Fund, July 20, 2001
Read 2001 Complaint

ATCA Complaint Against Coke sued by Turkish Coca-Cola workers victimized by riot police under orders from Coca-Cola

Case Name: TURIDI et al. v. THE COCA-COLA COMPANY et al.

Plaintiff: Turkish Coca-Cola workers victimized by riot police under orders from Coca-Cola

Summary: In 2005, 105 workers at a Coca-Cola bottling plant in Istanbul Turkey joined a union and were terminated. They organized a lengthy sit-down strike in front of the main offices of Coca-Cola in Turkey. After several weeks of protesting, the workers entered the building to demand their reinstatement. While leaders of the workers were meeting with senior management for the company, the company ordered Turkish riot police to attack the workers who were by all accounts peacefully assembled, many with their spouses and children. Nearly two hundred of them were beaten badly and many required hospitalization. The victims sued for torture under the ATCA, as well as battery, assault, emotional distress under New York state law. They also brought claims for unfair business practices because Coca-Cola has been representing to the public that they are not an anti-union company and they require their bottlers to respect fundamental worker rights. The case was initially dismissed on forum non conveniens grounds, with the Court ordering the case transferred to Turkey. Plaintiffs instead appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case is pending. The case is currently pending in the 11th Circuit, and the parties have been in protracted discussions in an effort to resolve the issues.

Status: Pending in appeals court

"10 Critical Talking Points," February 14, 2007
Read Talking Points in html

Webcast of 2008 Coca-Cola annual shareholders meeting, April 16, 2008
Watch Webcast of 2008 Shareholders Meeting.

Webcast of 2007 Coca-Cola annual shareholders meeting, April 18, 2007
Watch Webcast of 2007 Shareholders Meeting

Webcast of Coca-Cola's 2006 Annual Shareholders' Meeting, April 19, 2006
Watch Coke's 2006 Annual Shareholders' Meeting

The Coca-Cola Co., 2005 Annual Shareowners' Meeting Webcast, April 19, 2005
Watch Coke's 2005 Annual Shareholders' Meeting

"University of Michigan Falls Prey to Another Coca-Cola PR Scam," Campaign to Stop Killer Coke
April 17, 2006 Press Release/Report

WB11, New York Feature on the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke
On July 11, 2005, WB11, one of New York City area's major television stations aired a special "Fact Finders Report" on the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke called "Coca-Cola Faces Human Rights Violations." Interviewed are Campaign Director Ray Rogers, Hofstra University Campaign Activist Vanessa Cudabac, New York City Council Member Hiram Monserrate, New York City Comptroller William Thompson and American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton. This excellent feature was watched by millions on WB11 and, as we found out from supporters, watched by others around the world on satellite television.

See WB11 News Feature
Read the Campaign's response to Coke's lies in this feature.

Video, "State of the Union" The story of Coke in Colombia, produced by Insight News for Channel 4 of Great Britain in Spanish with English subtitles
Watch Video

"Unthinkable! Undrinkable! A Campus Campaign Overview," a USAS Campus Guide
Read USAS Campaign Overview

War on Want, Press Release and Report, "Coca-Cola under fire as World Cup comes to London, Released March 20, 2006
Read Release
Read Report, "Coca-Cola: The Alternative Report"
En Español
War on Want's Coke Campaign Site

Colombia Solidarity Campaign, "The Anti-Coke Manifesto," By Andy Higginbottom, Secretary, Colombia Solidarity Campaign
Read Manifesto
Read Manifesto in Italian

LABOR AND HUMAN RIGHTS: 'The Real Thing' in Colombia, By Lesley Gill
Read Report

"Inside the Real Thing: Corporate profile on Coca-Cola Corporation," Report by the Polaris Institute (Canada)
Read the report in pdf format

McMaster University, "Anti-Monopoly, For Choice: An Evaluation of Coca-Cola Ltd.'s Presence at McMaster University"
Read Pamphlet

NYC fact-finding delegation's report on human rights violations by Coke — Final Report, NYC Council Member Hiram Monserrate, April 2004
View Full Report in pdfhtml
View Appendices
Monserrate Report in Italian -- pdf format
Monserrate Report in Italian -- html format

International Labor Rights Fund, "Another "Classic Coke" Move to Deny and Delay Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Colombia," March 4, 2006
Read Response

"Proposal of the New York City Pension Funds for an Independent Investigation of Allegations Made Against Coca-Cola Bottling Plants in Colombia
Read Proposal and Letter from the Office of the Comptroller of New York City

How Credible is Coca-Cola? Beyond Coke's Crimes in Colombia:
This is a summary of Coke's abuses outside Colombia which should be very useful for public relations and organizing efforts. We're anxious to receive articles and other information that we can use to further document the case against Coke. We believe the evidence shows that Coca-Cola and its corporate network is rife with immorality, corruption and complicity in murder. Since Coca-Cola consistently fails to live up to the standards for "corporate responsibility" as set out in its own "code of business conduct," this report should be helpful to students, faculty and others seeking to rescind, not renew or not consider contracts with Coke.
View Full Report

Seven Points to Settlement
Read the Seven Points.

"ILRF Director Terry Collingsworth Response to Coke's Denials," July 8, 2004
Read Response

Schools Active in the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke
Read Report

"Why Does the IUF Attack SINALTRAINAL?"
Read Report in pdf format.
Read Report in html format.

Historic Settlement: Ingram vs. The Coca-Cola Company (for racial discrimination)
Read About the Lawsuit

United Students Against Sweatshops' Statement, "Cal-Safety Compliance Corporation is Not a Credible Monitor for Coca-Cola's Labor Practices," April 15, 2005
Read Report
"… there are ample grounds to conclude the Cal-Safety is unfit to monitor Coca-Cola's labor practices in Colombia. Indeed, given its repeated failure to find egregious violations in high profile cases of worker abuse, its status as a for-profit corporation, its practice of monitoring generating revenue from the major corporations for whom it monitors, its lack of experience with the core issue of freedom of association, its flawed methodology in visiting factories and conducting worker interviews, and its utter lack of transparency, Cal-Safety should easily be ruled out as a candidate for credibly investigating the case of Coca-Cola in Colombia."

Coca-Cola Brands


(It should be noted that some of the listed brands are NOT produced by Coke, but are distributed by Coke in some regions, including A&W and Schweppes.)

The Coca-Cola Co.
The Coca-Cola Company's Brands (A-Z)
Full List

Responsible Shopper
Responsible Shopper (Co-op America): Coca-Cola Analysis, Brands and Companies
Analysis of Coke


Alternatives to Coca-Cola

(In addition to these alternative companies, you might find local beverage companies. In some regions, Coca-Cola might be distributors of the alternative beverages; for example, in some regions, Cadbury Schweppes products such as Dr. Pepper are distributed by Coke.)

Read List of Coke's Competitors

Adirondack Beverages United States, mostly in the Northeast

Afri-Cola, Germany

Auvergnat Cola, France

Avery's Beverages,New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.

Barr Soft Drinks , Scotland

Ben Shaws (UK)

Big Cola, Mexico

Blue Sky Natural Soda, United States

Breizh Cola, Brittany, France

Bolthouse Farms, United States, Canada & Puerto Rico

Boylan's Premium Beverages, Williamsville, New York, US

Charlie's Soda Co., Australia/New Zealand

Faygo Beverages, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Fentimans, Riding Mill, Northumberland, UK

Fizzy Lizzy, United States, Japan, Bermuda and St. Barts

GuS Grown-Up Soda, New York, NY, US

Hank's Beverages, Trevose, Pennsylvania, US

Hansens Natural Soda, United States

Hosmer Mountain Soda, Connecticut, U.S.

Jones Soda, Seattle, Washington, US

R.W. Knudsen Spritzers and Juices, United States

Polar Beverages, New England, U.S.

Santa Cruz Organic Spritzers and Juices United States

Steaz Green Tea Soda, Newton, Pennsylvania, US

The Switch Beverage Co., United States

Tommy's Naked Soda (U.S. Northeast)

Ubuntu Trading, (Fair Trade), UK

Zevia (United States)

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