Soda Politics

Taking on Big Soda (and Winning)

Dr. Marion Nestle, Foreword by Mark Bittman, and Afterword by Dr. Neal Baer

Answers the question, how did what is essentially flavored sugar-water come to mean so much and to have such devastating health and food policy consequences?
The first book to focus on the history, politics, nutrition, and health of soda, integrating public health science with historical and cultural research
Helps readers understand how we created this food system, what its problems are, and what we can do to change things
Written by the incomparable Marion Nestle, founder of the food studies program at NYU, and major public health and food choice advocate
Well illustrated, with ~70 figures and ~60 tables
Foreword by Mark Bittman, food journalist and columnist for the New York Times
Afterword by Neal Baer, pediatrician and television writer and producer

Soda Politics

Taking on Big Soda (and Winning)

Dr. Marion Nestle, Foreword by Mark Bittman, and Afterword by Dr. Neal Baer

Description

Sodas are astonishing products. Little more than flavored sugar-water, these drinks cost practically nothing to produce or buy, yet have turned their makers - principally Coca-Cola and PepsiCo - into multibillion dollar industries with global recognition, distribution, and political power. So how did something so cheap come to mean so much and to have such devastating health and food policy consequences?

Soda Politics is a story of the American food system at work, written by the incomparable NYU scholar and public health champion Marion Nestle. It is the first book to focus on the history, politics, nutrition, and health impact of soda, asking how we created this system, what its problems are, and what we can do to change things. Coke and Pepsi spend billions of dollars a year on advertising and lobbying to prevent any measures to limit soda, a product billed as "refreshing," "tasty," "crisp," and "the real thing" that also happens to be a major cause of health problems, from obesity to Type II diabetes. They target minorities, poor people, and children, and are involved in land and water grabs in underdeveloped countries, where they also have redoubled their efforts at building their market share.

In fact, the marketing practices of soda companies are eerily similar to that of cigarette companies - both try to sell as much as possible, regardless of the health consequences, in any way that they can. And the public is starting to scrutinize sugary sodas in the same way that they do cigarettes. Soda consumption is falling, and Americans are only partially replacing soda with other sugary drinks. This did not happen accidentally: the fall in soda sales is a result of successful food advocacy. Soda Politics provides the overwhelming evidence to keep up pressure on all those involved in the production, marketing, sales, and subsidization of soda.

Soda Politics

Taking on Big Soda (and Winning)

Dr. Marion Nestle, Foreword by Mark Bittman, and Afterword by Dr. Neal Baer

Foreword (by Mark Bittman)
Introduction
What is soda and why should anyone care?
1) Sodas: the inside story
2) Soda drinkers: facts and figures
3) The sugar(s) problem
Sodas and health
4) Dietary advice: sugars and sugary drinks
5) The health issues: obesity, diabetes, and more
6) Advocating health: soda-free teeth
The soda industry and how it works
7) Meet Big Soda: an overview
8) Obesity: Big Soda's response
9) Marketing sugary drinks: four basic principles
Targeting children
10) Starting early: Marketing to infants, children, and teens
11) Advocating health: Ending soda marketing to kids
12) Advocating health: Getting sodas out of schools
13) Advocating health: Getting kids involved
Targeting minorities and the poor
14) Marketing to African- and Hispanic-Americans: a complicated story
15) Selling to the developing world
16) Advocating health: excluding sodas from SNAP
Playing softball: Recruiting allies, coopting critics
17) "Softball" marketing strategies: Corporate Social Responsibility
18) Investing in communities
19) Supporting worthy causes: health professionals and research
20) Recruiting public health leaders
Playing softball: Mitigating soda-induced environmental damage
21) Advocating sustainability: defending the environment
22) Advocating sustainability: protecting public water resources
Playing hardball: defending turf, attacking critics
23) Lobbying, campaign contributions, and the revolving door
24) Using public relations and front groups
Taking action: soda caps and taxes
25) Advocating health: capping soda portion sizes
26) Advocating health: taxing sugary drinks
27) Advocating for health and the environment: take action
Afterword (by Neal Baer)
Appendix I: the principal US groups advocating for healthier beverage choices
Appendix II: National, state, and local campaigns to reduce soda consumption: selected examples
Selected bibliography
List of tables and figures
Reference notes
Acknowledgments
Index

Soda Politics

Taking on Big Soda (and Winning)

Dr. Marion Nestle, Foreword by Mark Bittman, and Afterword by Dr. Neal Baer

Author Information

Dr. Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, New York University, Foreword by Mark Bittman, Columnist, New York Times, and Afterword by Dr. Neal Baer, Co-Founder, Global Media Center for Social Impact, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Dr. Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and Professor of Sociology at New York University. Her degrees include a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley.

Contributors:

Marion Nestle authored the book, Mark Bittman provided the foreword, and Neal Baer wrote the afterword.

Soda Politics

Taking on Big Soda (and Winning)

Dr. Marion Nestle, Foreword by Mark Bittman, and Afterword by Dr. Neal Baer

Reviews and Awards

"Thorough and unflinching." - Science

"Soda Politics offers a refreshing break - a great read for dieticians." - Ursula Arens, Network Health Digest

"Dr Marion Nestle does us all a great service by spelling out clearly and authoritatively the dreadful price we are paying for guzzling gallons of sugared water" - Janette Wolf, The Independent

"thorough and thoughtful, careful and comprehensive, exacting and erudite... this is a hefty, well-researched book." - Nature, David Katz

"a compelling storyteller ... Soda Politics brings much needed balance to several topics ... highly worthwhile" - Dariush Mozaffarian, The Lancet

"It's exhilarating watching a scholar of this eminence not only write the rap sheet for the sugar-pushers ... but also also persuasively and precisely detail the current fightbacks and potential solutions." - Karen Shook, Times Higher Education

"I highly recommend the book to readers interested in the how and why of soda consumption and health advocacy, and in food marketing in general." - Nadia A. Streletskaya, American Journal of Agricultural Economics

"comprehensive ... Talha Khan Burki, The Lancet"

Soda Politics

Taking on Big Soda (and Winning)

Dr. Marion Nestle, Foreword by Mark Bittman, and Afterword by Dr. Neal Baer

From Our Blog

The soda industry exposed [infographic]

Although soda companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are recognized around the world - the history, politics, and nutrition of these corporations are not as known. In her latest book, Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning), Marion Nestle exposes the truth behind this multi-billion dollar industry. Check out these hard hitting facts and see how much you actually know about the soda industry.

Posted on October 16, 2015

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How well do you know the soda industry? [quiz]

The history of soda is full of Norman Rockwell paintings, nostalgic Americana, athletes and other celebrities'so many familiar faces that soda companies seem like the industry next door. But these are the same companies that use municipal water supplies in drought-stricken areas and spend large amounts of money on lobbying. So how much do you actually know about the soda industry? Take the quiz and find out.

Posted on October 9, 2015

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