Bloomberg Taking On Beverage Companies

[Parsad]

You knew this was coming.  In our politically and environmentally over-zealous culture, you knew that soft drink companies were going to be targeted for obesity.  I don't think this is an isolated incident, and you'll see more cities, municipalities, and especially school districts doing this.  Cheers!

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nyc-proposes-ban-sale-oversize-173930533.html

[lessthaniv]

1) During the RJR Nabisco, Inc. hostile takeover fight in 1987, Buffett was quoted as telling John Gutfreund:

 

I'll tell you why I like the cigarette business. It costs a penny to make. Sell it for a dollar. It's addictive. And there's fantastic brand loyalty.

 

—Buffett, quoted in Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco

 

Fast forward 7 years ....

 

2) Speaking at Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s 1994 annual meeting, Buffett said;

 

investments in tobacco are fraught with questions that relate to societal attitudes and those of the present administration. I would not like to have a significant percentage of my net worth invested in tobacco businesses. The economy of the business may be fine, but that doesn't mean it has a bright future.

 

—Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting (1994)

 

 

I wonder if the same thing will be printed about Coke one day?

[Parsad]

1) During the RJR Nabisco, Inc. hostile takeover fight in 1987, Buffett was quoted as telling John Gutfreund:

 

I'll tell you why I like the cigarette business. It costs a penny to make. Sell it for a dollar. It's addictive. And there's fantastic brand loyalty.

 

—Buffett, quoted in Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco

 

Fast forward 7 years ....

 

2) Speaking at Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s 1994 annual meeting, Buffett said;

 

investments in tobacco are fraught with questions that relate to societal attitudes and those of the present administration. I would not like to have a significant percentage of my net worth invested in tobacco businesses. The economy of the business may be fine, but that doesn't mean it has a bright future.

 

—Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting (1994)

 

 

I wonder if the same thing will be printed about Coke one day?

 

I suspect yes, but to a lesser degree.  Remember, Coke is as much a distribution company, as it is a beverage company.  So as long as they don't rely solely on sugary drinks to generate all their revenue, over time they will be fine if they can find replacements...be it with artificial sweeteners, water, coffee, etc.  Whereas, you can't do much to change the addictive nature around tobacco and the ensuing health issues from the toxins.  Cheers!

[meiroy]

You knew this was coming.  In our politically and environmentally over-zealous culture, you knew that soft drink companies were going to be targeted for obesity.  I don't think this is an isolated incident, and you'll see more cities, municipalities, and especially school districts doing this.  Cheers!

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nyc-proposes-ban-sale-oversize-173930533.html

 

Well, the sizes are insanely large. You order a glass of something and get a gigantic flower vase filled to the brim with sugar-water. The sizes of the people follow.

 

I cannot wonder, though, if the "law of unintended consequences" will cause this new law to backfire and make things worse.  A better solution might be to inflate even higher the ridiculous high health costs, maybe then people will get the message...

 

[Sportgamma]

"Sugar is noteworthy as a substance that releases opioids and dopamine and thus might be expected to have addictive potential. This review summarizes evidence of sugar dependence in an animal model. Four components of addiction are analyzed. “Bingeing”, “withdrawal”, “craving” and cross-sensitization are each given operational definitions and demonstrated behaviorally with sugar bingeing as the reinforcer. These behaviors are then related to neurochemical changes in the brain that also occur with addictive drugs. Neural adaptations include changes in dopamine and opioid receptor binding, enkephalin mRNA expression and dopamine and acetylcholine release in the nucleus accumbens."

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/?tool=pmcentrez