The fast food and soft drinks industries have been the ones hit the most with concerns of the growing obesity epidemic, with sales of both these businesses dropping over the course of years, leading one of the biggest companies in the world to fund research to disprove these claims - but the Coca-Cola obesity research turned into a scandal later on.
Earlier this year, reports surfaced about the Coca-Cola obesity research, claiming the major company had paid a number of scientists to look into their product being safe for people - and now, months after this information surfaced, one of the universities involved in the controversy is giving the Coca-Cola Company its money back.
According to Business2Community, the University of Colorado has recently returned a $1 million grant to the major soft drinks company to research Coca-Cola obesity, after the school was heavily criticized over starting a group called Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN) dedicated to ending obesity - and still funded by Coca-Cola.
As Yibada reports, the GEBN controversy began earlier this year after its funding became public, with many pointing out that it was ridiculous that it was supposedly fighting obesity and still receiving funds from one of the organizations partially responsible for the epidemic, prompting the Coca-Cola obesity questions.
Since its creation, the GEBN has spoken for exercising more instead of focusing on the much-vilified fast food and soft drinks industries, which prompted more than a few raised eyebrows - even more so when the Coca-Cola obesity funding came out.
"Obesity and related health issues are serious concerns for personal medical care and public health," said the University of Colorado in a statement about their decision to give back the money over the funding taking preeminence to the message, via The New York Times. "The School of Medicine and physicians and researchers on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus are making significant contributions to the understanding of and care for these health-related issues and the source of funding for the network should not distract from their efforts."
On their part, the company has stated that they'll be giving the Coca-Cola obesity funding to Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
