Posted on 07/14/2006 7:56:09 AM PDT by Houmatt
CLAYTON, MO. - A St. Louis weight-loss instructor is suing the Coca-Cola Co. over its product loyalty campaign, claiming the program might encourage children to drink so much of the soft drink that they could die.
The campaign, called "My Coke Rewards" gives customers points for buying Coca-Cola products. Customers trade in points for prizes that range from baseball gloves to free vacations.
Julia Havey says it's no sweet deal. The program expires in January, and to accumulate enough points by that time for high-end prizes, customers would need to drink hundreds of Cokes a day, she said.
Coca-Cola spokesman Scott Williamson said Havey is "horribly misinformed" about the rewards program, and the lawsuit is simply an attempt to drum up attention for the weight-loss books she writes.
Havey said she filed the lawsuit out of a sense of moral obligation. The suit doesn't seek monetary damages but asks Atlanta-based Coca-Cola to alter or drop the program.
"We're parents, and this isn't right for our children," Havey said.
Williamson said Coke doesn't require customers to drink all the products they buy to amass points. Havey's suit seeks a restraining order against Coca-Cola and a permanent injunction that would force it to drop the campaign.
Williamson said Coca-Cola has no intention of changing its program.
I am reminded of an ad I had designed in my head, to be run in national magazines and newspapers. It was a photo of someone's hand, and they were flipping the bird. The finger in question was dipped in milk, with it running down onto the hand. The caption reads, "Isn't it time to tell the food nazis to mind their own business?"
Of course, nobody would ever run it, and not because of the symbolism.
Then don't drink it or give it to your children.
I think Coke Zero is excellent!
I'd say the overweight are right about at 1970 on the smoker persecution timeline. Enjoy your nanny state. A lot of overweight people supported the third class citizenship and fleecing of smokers. Now it's your turn.
Personally, I think the Ocean Spray product is even worse than soda pop considering its mostly made of corn fructose syrup!
This shi'ite HAS GOT TO STOP!!! Unfreakingbelievable!
I'd like to know how Coke got such a toe-hold in Europe. On my first trip to Belgium, Holland and the UK recently, besides the lack of wash cloths, I was disappointed in the lack of Pepsi available for Pepsi-freaks like me.
My kid (age 6) is not able to drink hundreds of Cokes a day. He is only able to do about 90 or so, and that's only because of the little mind control beans that are in each bottle of Coke. The only real problems we've had is that he doesn't sleep much (we sit him down with TV games at night) and, when we're out in the car, we have to make a stop every few miles.
We're sure going to be proud of him, though, if he wins one of the big prizes.
nanny State Ping............
Courts or government === all the same. some busy body has decided she knows what's best for the rest of us.
I just registered for Coke Rewards. I appreciate the nice lady making me aware.
Does she dress herself and her kids in Brown shirts?
ROFLMSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mabey its just me but it kind of seems imossible if not improbable that someone could drink that much coke in a day. First of all the cost is prohibitive, a case of cokes in my are is around $5.00 plus taxes now if someone wanted to drink hundreds of cokes a day they would have to purchase at least (100/12)or roughly 8 cases of cokes a day. That would come to $200-$400 a week depending on if you wanted to try and drink 1 or 2 hundred cokes a day. That is very expensive for a base ball glove. Secondly to actually drink that many would make me sick but consider a can of coke is 12fl oz or 355 ml to drink 100 cans a day would be roughly 35.5 liters of soda to transfer to US gallons that would be (35.5*0.26) or 9.1 gallons. Could someone drink that much soda without throwing up? I like to drink cokes but that seems a little impossible to me. Sounds like another "think of the children" scare tactic to me. This person is a weight loss instructor? Sounds like an over paid busy body to me. Some woman that gets paid to tell people how to eat and live. Now she wants to tell EVERYBODY how to eat and live.
Marlboro dropped its loyalty points programm as of this summer. Same issue - lawsuits.
Julia@juliahavey.com
I spy with my little eye a word that starts with an "F".
Could looking at a picture make you throw up?
I won't support nanny government, but I admit that I will have quite a giggle when it turns around and bites the overweight. The rudest smoke nazis I've ever met were big, sweaty dudes that looked like they were about one cheeseburger away from exploding.
It just did.
Anyway, she's missed Coke's true target: vendors who stock machines, folks in charge of concessions - THEY'RE the ones who are going to take the codes off of the cartons and score the big prizes.
The nanny state: where government wipes every tear and most of the posteriors.
PM are wusses anyway.........
Meathead Reiner!!!!!
OK, since the do-gooders are close to only allowing smokers to light up in a dark corner of their basement, they are rubbing their hands together and choosing their next victim.
People scratch their heads when this happens to a healthy young person, yet, mark my words, had this guy been a smoker, the cigarettes would have been the cause of his heart attack.
Is that actually real? And can you get it out of my head somehow?
I didn't take the picture. One of our Freeper Activist did during a codepink freep.
To my understanding, it is real.
Yes, you may borrow my big pointy stick to poke out your mind's eye.
Please wash it before returning. Thank you.
Exactly! It's all BS.
When Mysterio is done with that stick may I borrow it?
What say you?
I was thinking she'd be the perfect Mrs. michael moore.
She would eat him.
Not that I would miss more....but, you saw the Blob? It grows when fed.
Possibly. However, I suspect that if she did it would stretch her out so much that she would split into two and go on to devour the world.
" Tomorrow all those fatties will have a rude awakening when they pay a 100% tax on cookies and chips and are forced to park a block away from their destination for the exercise."
Wait until they find themselves in a re-education camp ran by Richard Simmons..........
More than one?/? Frightening!
IANAL, but how does this twit even have "standing" to file this suit?
As you know, I don't smoke but I defend the rights of smokers.
I also don't drink soda because I don't like it unless it has alcohol in it, but I defend the rights of Sober Soda Drinkers to do so as well! :)
OK, since the do-gooders are close to only allowing smokers to light up in a dark corner of their basement, they are rubbing their hands together and choosing their next victim.
That would mean you are smoking in your house….and that’s a big no-no.
The judiciary shouldn't be deciding on this. What a waste of their time!
Everyone knows she should call the White House... ;-)
It was almost considered treasonous to drink Pepsi, LOL!
I was raised on the stuff and still drink it. All my siblings drank it from an early age and they are still alive too.
She doesn't. She is just another arrogant liberal who thinks she is smarter than everyone else and wants to impose her "intelligence" on the rest of the world.
Chug a Coke, and the resultant belch will shake it loose. Then you can just spit it out.
Pepsi? Let them eat cake.
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