Coca-Cola cuts back on festive truck tour in wake of crackdown on high-sugar drinks

COCA-Cola has scaled back its annual Christmas truck tour as a charity claimed resistance was growing to the company giving out free sugary drinks.

The tour will end in London on December 16 after stopping at 24 locations, down from 38 last year.

The two 14-tonne lorries decorated with fairy lights and offering free 150ml cans of Coca-Cola, Zero Sugar and Diet Coke have been welcomed by councils and shopping centres since 1995.

But last year Public Health England warned about the impact seasonal marketing promotions can have on diet-related diseases.

At the time Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE, said: “Big-name brands touring the country at Christmas to advertise their most sugary products to children and boost sales does nothing to help families make healthy choices and wider efforts to combat childhood obesity and rotten teeth.”

Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola UK and Ireland, said the company expected 90% of the drinks given out on the tour to be zero sugar and none would be given to children under 12 without a parent present.

Mr Woods said: “I believe the actions we have taken as a business to remove sugar from our drinks and focus our marketing on the no sugar variants of Coca-Cola show we are committed to acting responsibly and playing our part in addressing some of the challenges you raise.

“For a few weeks per year thousands of consumers love and enjoy our Christmas truck tour and as long as consumers want it we will continue to run it.”