Who doesn't want to see a Coca-Cola Christmas truck? Leicester's Labour MP.
Leicester East MP Keith Vaz has strongly expressed that the famous Coca-Cola Christmas truck is not welcome in his city, further calling it as "not the real thing" or a wrong move, especially since one-third of the children in the area already have tooth decay and the rate of childhood obesity has been increasing over the years.
The Coca-Cola Christmas truck, a large red truck adorned with Christmas lights, has been a regular fixture in one of the company's beloved holiday advertisements called "Holidays are Coming" in different media including television and print. To celebrate its twentieth year, it will embark on a UK tour covering 46 locations starting with Inverness on Nov 20. It's expected to arrive in Leicester on Dec 17.
During the tour stop, everyone is encouraged to take photos of the iconic truck as well as enjoy a drink of any of its popular beverages like regular Coke, diet Coke, and Coke Life. However, the company has already mentioned that it's not handing out drinks to kids below 12 years old, something Vaz doesn't count on since it's "clearly unenforceable."
Vaz, who has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a metabolic long-term disease, has found an ally with Action on Sugar. Speaking on behalf of the action group, Jennifer Rosborough urges the biggest soda brand in the world to cut back on its sugar contents rather than promote its sugary drinks blatantly. According to the brand's official UK website, a 330ml of regular Coke contains 35g of sugar (39%), which is more than the WHO recommendation on free sugars. She further added that due to this campaign, people now associate Coca-Cola with Christmas, which implies that people may encourage to drink more of the soda during the holidays.
Not everyone is happy with Vaz's comment, however. A number of his constituents have taken to social media, calling his opinion a joke or he needs to do "something that actually matters" other than "nitpicking" on the truck. Meanwhile, the Coca-Cola truck will proceed to Leicester as planned.