Truck tour fizz going a little bit flat
THE Coca-Cola truck arrives in Wales this weekend as part of its annual UK Christmas tour – despite a reduced itinerary following opposition from local authorities and health bodies.
The giant red truck has been a familiar festive sight ever since 1995, being hosted by councils, shopping centres and others as part of the multinational soft drinks company’s Christmas promotional drive.
Two 14-tonne lorries decorated with thousands of fairy lights and playing the Holidays are Coming jingle tour the UK offering free 150ml cans of CocaCola, Zero Sugar and Diet Coke.
But it has scaled back its tour following opposition to its handing out free sugary drinks, coordinated by the Sugar Smart campaign, and warnings of the impact of such marketing promotions on the prevalence of dietrelated issues such as obesity and tooth decay.
This year it will visit a third fewer locations than last time around, visiting 24 towns and cities, down from 38 last year.
Some cities have decided against hosting the truck again, including Carlisle, where the council passed a motion not to invite it back, while in some areas such as Glasgow, Plymouth and Bristol, public protests have taken place.
There have also been complaints made to local hosts including Asda and Tesco.
However, both Cardiff and Swansea remain on its route, with the first stopoff in Cardiff this weekend.
The truck will be at Queen Street tomorrow and Sunday.
Cardiff council said the truck was a popular attraction with families.
Cabinet member for culture and leisure Peter Bradbury said: “The CocaCola truck was moved into the city centre following severe traffic congestion which was caused when it was sited at Coryton.
“The truck is a major attraction for many families who enjoy having their pictures taken alongside it in the run up to Christmas.
“The council would of course always advise and encourage people to enjoy a balanced diet.”
Next week, the truck will move on to Swansea, when it will be at the Tesco in Llansamlet on Wednesday.
A Swansea council spokesman said: “This is a matter for Tesco.”
Tesco was contacted for a comment. Eighty-three organisations and campaigners have signed a letter calling on Coca-Cola to hand out only sugar-free drinks.
Coordinated by the food and health charity Sustain, the signatories include the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, World Cancer Research Fund International, the Royal Society for Public Health and 27 local councils.
The truck is again visiting areas that have worse-than-average health problems relating to diet, the letter points out.
Coca-Cola defended its use of the promotional Christmas trucks, which it said had made 397 stops in the UK to date and covered 737,000 miles.
In a reply to Sustain, Jon Woods, the general manager of Coca-Cola GB and Ireland, said the company expected 90% of the drinks sampled this year to be zero sugar, and drinks would not be given to children under 12 unless a parent was with them.