Coca-Cola addresses nutrition issues

Not all food is bad food. And no food is bad food if taken in moderation. According to panelists participating in the “Helping Your Shoppers Achieve Energy Balance to Support Active Healthy Living” panel sponsored by Coca-Cola, there are many misnomers in the marketplace regarding nutrition.

“We believe that consumers, in order to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle need to be educated about choices,” noted John Carroll, VP drug/dollar channel for Coca-Cola.

“What we talked about today was eating and enjoying food, but also energy balance and making sure consumers understand the choices they’re making from a food and beverage perspective. It’s also making sure that they understand there is a balance between calories in and calories out.”

The panel provided a guide to retailers to help consumers understand the merits of making appropriate food choices and achieving “energy balance,” which is calories consumed verses expended.

John Carroll, VP drug/dollar channel for Coca-Cola, discussed educating consumers about a healthy, balanced lifestyle at a panel on Sunday.

“You cannot talk about what you eat in a vacuum,” cautioned Robyn Flipse, founder of Nutrition Communication Services. “It’s lifestyle that defines what we eat and when.”

Some of the sociocultural trends impacting food choices include harried schedules, lack of knowledge and changing demographics — baby boomers are more apt to eat out, for example.