Foundation for a Healthy America

The Foundation for a Healthy America is a front group for the soda industry. It was created by the soda industry's lobbying group, the American Beverage Association. The Foundation donated $10 million to the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia for obesity prevention, treatment and research at a time when the Philadelphia city council was considering a two cent tax on the sale of soda within city limits. Hospital representatives had testified in favor of the tax, which council ultimately did not pass, and refused to revisit the following year. Michele Simon, a public health lawyer specializing in industry marketing and lobbying tactics, likened the soda industry's tactic of using philanthropy to buy silence with the same tactic the tobacco industry used to silence its critics.

Sourcewatch resources

 * Front groups
 * Tobacco industry public relations strategies
 * American Beverage Association

External resources

 * Marion Nestle Soda Companies vs. Soda Taxes: Breathtaking Creativity, The Atlantic.com, March 24, 2011