It seems simple, you pick up the product, rotate it to the right or left and view the nutrition label. As easy as it may seem, very few people take to the time to turn the bottle of their favorite soda to look at the labels. Coke is taking a stand and actually putting their labels on the front of the bottle. Is this risky or a well played move to get consumer to view what they are drinking? On one had, it’s good that you can see the label, on the other, you might actually end up putting it back OR switching to a calorie free option.
Coke says they’re the first beverage company to provide this front-of-the-container information to consumers. “Now more than ever, people expect facts about the product they consume to be both readily available and visible,” said Muhtar Kent, Coke’s chairman and CEO, in a press release.
Fast food and beverage companies have been under fire recently as threats of a soft drink tax swirled in the Senate, and a California state senator is about to put soda on trial.
Michael Jacobson, executive director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the labeling is a “public relations” move, but that it could help change consumer behavior.
“It’s a useful step,” Jacobson told USA Today. “But listing calories on the front of a Coke is like putting lipstick on a pig. Coca-Cola is basically … liquid candy (source).”
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