Most people understand the influence the drug industry wields via its revolving door with federal regulatory agencies. Less is known about the influence of the food manufacturers, particularly manufacturers of soft drinks.

Marion Nestle, PhD, MPH, who holds a master’s degree in Public Health from University of California, Berkeley and a PhD in Molecular Biology, has written a number of books.

Two of the most prominent ones are Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, and the one that we discuss in this interview, which is Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning).

It’s a fascinating exposé, and reveals a wealth of information that is highly likely you were previously unaware of as to how pervasive the soda industry influence really is.

To Control Your Weight, Ditch Soda

Nestle was the chairman of Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University (NYU) for 15 years. She’s a staunch advocate for public health and a leading voice in helping people understand these issues.

“I’ve been writing about food politics for 20 years or so. Each one of my books grows out over the previous one. This one emerges naturally from my previous work because sodas are low-hanging fruit, in public health terms,” she says.

“The first thing you should do if you’re trying to control your weight is stop drinking sugary beverages. They have calories. They don’t have any nutrients. They really don’t do anything for you, and the potential for doing harm is quite great.

As the Center for Science in the Public Interest has put it for years, sodas are liquid candy. You wouldn’t be eating candy all day long if you were worried about your health. You shouldn’t be drinking sugary drinks all day long either.”

The soda industry is also well aware of the connection between soda consumption and obesity and obesity-related diseases.

As explained by Nestle, soda companies are by law required to inform the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about vulnerabilities, and for the last decade Coca-Cola has been telling the SEC that obesity is the number one threat to soda industry profits — and for good reason.

“Health advocates have been telling the public to cut down on sugary drink consumption for quite a long time now and sales are down,” Nestle says.

“That’s why the title of my book is Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning), because the sales are down. They think it’s due to public health advocacy, and I do too.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1YmS_WiR0U