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PORTSIDE CULTURE

MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR COCA-COLA  
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Marion Nestle
August 23, 2024
Food Politics
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_ This book reveals the work of the International Life Sciences
Institute funded by Coca-Cola _

This book reveals the work of the International Life Sciences
Institute funded by Coca-Cola, Food Politics

 

Weekend Reading: Soda Science

Susan Greenhalgh. Soda Science: Making the World Safe for Coca-Cola. 
University of Chicago Press, 2024.

This terrific book picks up where I left off with _Soda Politics:
Taking on Big Soda (and Winning)_
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and Unsavory_Truth: How the Food Industry Skews the Science of What We
Eat_
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(2018).

Susan Greenhalgh’s focus, however, is on ILSI, the International
Life Sciences Institute (now renamed the Institute for the Advancement
of Food and Nutrition Sciences)
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is a classic industry front group,  It was created originally by
Coca-Cola to make sure science promoted corporate interests.  It is
funded by big food companies.  It positions itself as an independent
think tank.  Hence: front group.

_Soda Science _documents how ILSI, working through personal
connections (_guanxi_) at the Chinese Ministry of Health, convinced
the Chinese government to target obesity prevention measures at
physical activity (“move more”), rather than diet (“eat less,”
or “eat better”).

The first half of the book tells the story of ILSI’s role in the
Global Energy Balance Network, a group outed as funded by Coca-Cola (I
wrote about this in 2015, particularly here
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here
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and here in _The Guardian_
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The second half gives an intimate, first-hand account of how science
politics works in China.

Greenhalgh is a distinguished anthropologist.
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retired from Harvard as as the John King and Wilma Cannon Fairbank
Research Professor of Chinese Society (she is an expert on China). 
She uses social science methods—interviews and qualitative research
as well as document review—to study this particular example of soda
politics.

We have never met but I have a vested interest in this book, and not
just because I write about similar topics.  In 2018, the _BMJ _asked
me to peer review an article she had written about ILSI’s
machinations around obesity policy in China.

I thought her account of the inner workings of Chinese decision-making
around obesity policy was wonderfully documented and well worth
publishing. I commented that even though others had written about
Coca-Cola and ILSI, “as an in-depth qualitative study it makes a
critically important contribution to our understanding of how food
companies use front groups to achieve policy objectives.”

I urged the BMJ to accept the article with some minor revisions. No
such luck.  The BMJ rejected the article.

I was so appalled that I wrote the editors to reconsider, which they
eventually did.

I also wrote Susan to offer help finding a journal to publish her
writings on this topic and recommended she look at the _Journal of
Public Health Policy._

She followed through.  When her articles appeared, I cited and wrote
about them: Coca-Cola’s political influence in China: documented
evidence
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15, 2019).

I’ve also had plenty to say about ILSI over the years, most
recently:

* The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI): true colors
revealed 
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3, 2019)
* ILSI tracked media responses to my book, Unsavory Truth
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22, 2023)

The story she tells here is fascinating in its own right and a great
read.

It also makes one other point: social science methods are really
useful in getting information unavailable any other way.

I say this because bench scientists tend to look down on qualitative
research and consider it non-research.  I disagree.  I think
qualitative research is essential, and has plenty to contribute. 
This book is a great example of why.

                                                                                                  
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* Coca Cola
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* Obesity
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* soft drinks
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* China
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* front groups
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