Coke in the café
Friends House defend the decision to sell Coca Cola in the café
Friends House have defended their decision to sell Coca Cola products in their café despite ethical concerns. The café has previously stocked alternative colas made from companies regarded as more ethical. Coke and Diet Coke went on sale in the café last week, priced at seventy pence per can.
Two alternatives remain on sale at ninety pence per can. They are Ubuntu Cola, which is made with Fairtrade sugar, and Organic Cola, produced by Whole Earth Foods.
Paul Grey of Friends House explained: ‘Coca Cola is not generally on sale in Friends House but we are willing, as on this occasion, to stock it in response to a twelve-step organisation who were using the building recently.’
Coca Cola have been accused of mistreating their own workers and persecuting trade unionists, particularly in Colombia. They have been linked to environmental destruction and the displacement of indigenous peoples in parts of Asia.
Paul continued: ‘Friends House Hospitality strives to demonstrate Quaker values. For our restaurant and café, we source fairly traded goods which are ethical, organic and sustainable. We promote UK products and, where possible, we buy from smaller local companies.’
However, former Friends House employee Kat Barton told the Friend that she was ‘really disappointed’ by the image of Coca Cola products on sale in a Quaker establishment.
She said: ‘As a non-Quaker who has worked with and for Quakers for a number of years, I have always regarded Friends as leading the way on ethical issues. Associating the Quaker name with Coca Cola in this way severely tarnishes this reputation and leads me to question how relevant Quaker perspectives now are to the important issues of the day’.
Tammy Harvey, a Christian living in Sheffield, told the Friend that she is far more worried about Coca Cola being sold in schools. ‘At least people buying stuff at Friends House cafe can make adult choices about what to buy,’ she said.
Comments
Apart from the ethical question this presents it seems rather strange to me that the price difference of 20p per can should be in place. Does this not in itself present a buyers choice pro Coca Cola ? Therefore a PROMOTION of this product? In Friendship, Ankor
By Ankor on 19th April 2012 - 9:34
I don’t think we should allow our hirers of rooms to dictate what we should or should not sell in our cafe. In this instance if the hirers insisted on Coca Cola we should have either allowed them to bring in their own supplies, or reluctantly supplied the product to them alone. Ian Waller St Albans Local Meeting
By Ian Waller on 22nd April 2012 - 8:25
Let us speak truth to power. Do not stock or use ANY unethical product in or at Friends House!
By lisapearce on 24th April 2012 - 19:45
This is a sign of business dictating to our spiritual life and our testimonies. Friends House should be ashamed, what is the point of saying how wonderful we are in ethical terms when we roll over at the whim of a room hirer? Bad move! It undermines out support for real ethical products. Take it out, please?
By BillinNZ on 5th May 2012 - 19:37
Bearing in mind the above points, it seems this review by an ethical eating website will need amending: ‘...it doesn’t serve Coca Cola or Pepsi… 65 per cent of all food purchases are organic; and you can expect to see a lot of Fairtrade products including the cotton in the uniforms! All this is no coincidence though, because everything is done with Quaker principles in mind.’ http://www.sustainweb.org/jelliedeel/articles/267/ Robin Bowles Huddersfield Meeting
By robin on 24th May 2012 - 13:00
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