Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

School Board rejects Coca-Cola's proposal

As the board discusses a partial ban on soda sales at high schools, a Coke manager offers to raise the cost of carbonated drinks by a quarter.

By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published September 15, 2005

INVERNESS - After hearing that Citrus wants to restrict soda sales at high schools, a Coca-Cola representative showed up at Tuesday's School Board meeting to propose an alternative.

Peggy Allen, cold drinks sales manager, told board members that Coke would rather raise the cost of carbonated drinks by a quarter, apparently to make the drinks less attractive to students. Except for bottled water, which costs 75 cents, all drinks are currently $1. Coke's proposal would raise the price of Coke to $1.25.

The School Board soundly rejected the idea.

"No. No," balked Chairwoman Pat Deutschman. "Our philosophy has nothing to do with raising the price of Coke."

Allen told board members that Coca-Cola has tried to encourage students to make healthier choices by changing advertisements on all soda machines to promote drinks such as sports drinks, fruit juice and bottled water. The company has also stocked machines with fewer carbonated drinks.

Allen did not say whether Coca-Cola is considering making changes to its contract with the school district. But she noted that the company has been a good business partner, giving generous sums of money to PTA groups and individual schools for items such as yearbooks and awards for teacher appreciation week. Over the last three years, the school district's contract with Coca-Cola has yielded $75,000 in scoreboards, Allen said.

Deutschman told Allen the district appreciated its relationship with Coca-Cola but emphasized that board members have already agreed that high schools should not serve sugary, high-calorie drinks that she said are unhealthy for students. Soda is not available in vending machines in Citrus' middle or elementary schools.

In August, board members discussed pulling the plug on all soda vending machines, but in the end they didn't do so. They are still discussing a partial ban, which would allow high school students to buy sodas - but only from a limited number of machines and only after school lets out at 2:20 p.m.

All other vending machines that serve juice, sports drinks and bottled water would still operate during school hours.

Last year, Hernando County schools banned soda from vending machines, prompting Coca-Cola to issue a warning saying that if sales dropped by more than 10 percent, the company would seek relief from the board. The Hernando board later voted to rescind the ban, allowing sodas back into the machines.

The Citrus School Board has not set a date to hold a vote on the partial soda ban.

--Eddy Ramirez can be reached at eramirez@sptimes.com or 860-7305.

[Last modified September 15, 2005, 01:05:21]