A top official at the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has resigned after it emerged that she offered secret advice to Coca-Cola officials. Dr Barbara Bowman sought to influence the World Health Organization (WHO) on sugar and beverage policy matters of the company.
Bowman worked for the CDC as the director at the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. She joined the CDC in 1992, and was been involved in a wide range of health policy initiatives for the division charged with providing public health leadership.
According to observers, Dr Bowman’s actions had increased the public belief that many of the American public agencies are ‘in bed’ with companies to the detriment of the American public.
Dr Bowman was exposed by a non-profit consumer education group, Right to Know. Through the Freedom of Information requests made by Right to Know, the group obtained email communications detailing how Dr Bowman, instead of protecting public health, chose to provide detailed guidance for Coca Cola officials on how to address WHO’s actions, which hurt the interests of the company.
In 2015, WHO published a sugar guideline that targeted sugary beverages as the primary cause for global childhood obesity, specifically in developing nations where the soda industry currently pushes their efforts. Health advocates have also warned people about the connection between sugary drinks and obesity. These messages are slowly gaining ground, as many people have started cutting down their sugar consumption. In the United States for example, soda sales has dropped by a whopping 25% since 1998. This is killing companies like Coca Cola.
Coca Cola was determined to influence WHO, in order for the organization not to be issuing statements and guidelines that will damage its business interest; used Dr Bowman as a tool to achieve its objective. Dr Bowman then became a shadow worker for Coca Cola.
The email communications obtained by Right to Know revealed that Dr Bowman happily advised Alex Malaspina, a former Coca-Cola scientific and regulatory affairs leader. Mr Malaspina is also the founder of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), which is being funded by Coca Cola.
In the email, Mr Malaspina reached out to Bowman to complain that WHO was giving a cold shoulder to his organization, ILSI. Malaspina also said WHO raised concerns and criticisms of Coca-Cola’s new product, Coca-Cola Life that it still contained more sugar than the limit recommended. Mr Malaspina told Bowman that WHO is getting on the nerves of Coca Cola, revealing that WHO called for more regulation on sugary soft drinks to prevent rising obesity rates among children.
“Any ideas how we can have a conversation with WHO? It is significant negative consequences on a global basis. The threat to our business is serious”, Malaspina wrote in the email to Barbara on June 26 2016.
Apart from Malaspina, Coca-Cola Chief Public Affairs and Communications Officer, Clyde Tuggle and Coca-Cola’s Chief Technical Officer, Ed Hays also sent email to Dr Barbara seeking guidance from her on how to tame WHO on the issue. Ed Hays wrote “WHO officials do not want to work with the industry. Something must be done.”
Dr Bowman replied that she knows someone close to Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the American billionaire, Michael Bloomberg, who has close connections that could tame officials of WHO. Bowman also suggested in addition that they try someone at PEPFAR program, an American government-backed program that makes HIV/AIDS drugs available to people in sub-Saharan Africa. She told him that the person at PEPFAR is a key network in WHO, and that the person can help.
A day after these conversations took place, on June 27, 2015, Mr Malaspina wrote back to thank Dr Bowman for her very good leads. “We would want WHO to start working with ILSI again… and for WHO to not only consider sugary foods as the only cause of obesity but to consider also the life style changes that have been occurring throughout the Universe.” He ended the mail by inviting Dr Bowman for dinner.
Dr Bowman’s superior, Dr Ursula Bauer, confirmed Bowman’s connections with Coca-Cola, and her subsequent resignation. Dr Ursula stated that the incident “serves as an important reminder of the old adage that if we don’t want to see it on the front pages of the newspaper then we shouldn’t do it.”
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Money Money Money!
The world is sold, we know. We are powerless, you know.
Sugar causes so many health problems across the board, many affecting children, it’s surprising how little morality there was in her decision.