Last week Beyoncé and Pepsi announced a $50 million endorsement deal that would include standard advertising as well as a multimillion-dollar fund to support the singer’s chosen creative products.
Today, Michael F. Jacobson, the executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest released an open letter asking the pop icon to back out of her $50 million deal, because Pepsi “contributes to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay, and other health problems in adults and children.”
He states…
“You occupy a unique position in the cultural life of this country and are an inspiring role model for millions of young people. Your image is one of success, health, talent, fitness, and glamour. But by lending your name and image to PepsiCo, you are associating those positive attributes with a product that is quite literally sickening Americans.
Each additional sugary drink consumed per day increases the likelihood of a child becoming obese by 60 percent. Each soda consumed per day increases the risk of heart disease in men by 19 percent. Drinking one or two sugary drinks per day increases one’s risk for type 2 diabetes by 25 percent. Diabetes, in turn, can cause complications including amputation, erectile dysfunction, blindness, coma, and early death. Almost all obesity-related health problems have a disproportionate impact on low-income, African-American, and Hispanic communities.”
