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An 18-pack of Coca-Cola cans with the words “mama” and “bub.” Dentists have harshly criticized the company for the marketing angle.
Dentists criticize Coca-Cola for selling boxes that they say encourage mothers to give the sugary drink to their babies.
The 18-can packages sold in supermarkets say “share a Coke” and show pictures of cans with “Bub” and “Mum” on them.
New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) spokesman Rob Beaglehole says he was outraged and saddened that the company “fell to those lows.”
The NZDA wrote to Coca-Cola on Friday and asked the company to remove the product from supermarket shelves immediately.
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“It is very irresponsible to think that Coca-Cola would encourage mothers to share Coca-Cola with their babies,” Beaglehole said.
“It’s never okay to give your baby Coca-Cola, not even as a gift.”
Beaglehole said the problem of poor oral health among young children was “massive.”
“As someone who has had to remove a lot of ‘bubs’ teeth and is also aware that some babies’ bottles have been filled with Coca-Cola, this is heartbreaking to see.”
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Rotten teeth extracted from a young child who had been drinking large amounts of sugary juice.
Coca-Cola was high in sugar and high in acidity.
“Not only will it rot your teeth, it will dissolve them.”
Beaglehole said the association did not blame parents for giving their children the drink.
“They are being manipulated by a devious marketing campaign, which is explicit, saying that it’s okay to give your baby Coca-Cola.”
He said supermarkets also had to “take some responsibility for stocking what they should be able to see as the wrong, if not totally reckless, marketing move.”
He asked them to refuse to sell the products.
Beaglehole said the issue highlighted the poor regulation of sugary drinks in New Zealand.
For a complaint to be heard by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) it would take “months” and at that point “the damage would be done,” he said.
STUFF
New Zealand actor and director Taika Waititi goes behind the camera for a 2020 Coca-Cola Christmas ad.
A Coca-Cola Oceania spokeswoman said the use of the names “Mum” and “Bub” for the Share A Coke campaign came from a Kiwis survey of popular nicknames, terms of endearment and pet names.
“These included popular names we call ourselves as baby, boyfriend, lover, hun, bub, honeybun, sweetheart, and sweetie-pie.”
The spokeswoman did not say whether Coca-Cola would recall the product or stop selling it.
An ASA spokeswoman said the authority had no jurisdiction over product packaging, but that the bottles featured in the ads would be covered by the Advertising Standards Code.
Beaglehole said it wanted the New Zealand government to follow the lead of the UK government with legislation preventing the sale of sugary drinks to children under the age of 16.
Countdown and Foodstuffs have been contacted for comment.
