Coca-Cola, the world's largest soft drink manufacturer, has disclosed it has spent nearly $120 million over the last five years to fund academic health research, partnerships with major medical groups and community fitness programs charged with remedying the U.S.' obesity epidemic, according to The New York Times.
Coke published a list of its grants to a variety of organizations since 2010 on its website Sept. 22. Beneficiaries include physician groups, university researchers, cancer and diabetes organizations, public parks and a foundation for the National Institutes of Health.
The publication of the list follows announcements by Muhtar Kent, Coke's CEO, that the company would be more transparent about its partnerships and support for research related to obesity, according to the report. The move was initiated by criticism that Coke had previously downplayed the role of Coke products in the growth of obesity rates.
"Our engagement and financial support of these well-respected experts, institutions and organizations were made with the best of intentions — to inform our business, support our local communities and support solutions to the public health issues facing people across the United States and around the world," Sandy Douglas, president of Coca-Cola North America wrote in a statement.
Coke's list of grants details the company's widespread reach across the U.S. and beyond its borders. Some of the top recipients include the American College of Cardiology, which has received $3.1 million in the past five years, the American Academy of Family physicians ($3.5 million), American Academy of Pediatrics ($3 million), the American Cancer Society ($2 million) and the Academy of Nutrition and Diabetics ($1.7 million), according to the report.
The list shows Coke also donated to community organizations, including more than $6 million to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to minority groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Hispanic Federation.