After closing for its annual maintenance period in early January, the London Eye reopened this weekend as the Coca-Cola London Eye.
The sponsorship deal means each pod of the Eye has Coca-Cola branding inside, staff wear red tops with Coca-Cola stamped on the back, security staff wear branded beanie hats, all the cafes in the ticket office have large Coca-Cola posters, and the wheel no longer shines blue at night, but Coca-Cola red.
The move has concerned medical professionals and children's charities. As co-ordinator of the Children's Food Campaign, Malcolm Clark and his team of volunteers handed out 500 toothbrushes yesterday - the same as the number of children aged 5 to 9 hospitalised every week due to tooth decay. "It's totally inappropriate for a major family attraction to be sponsored by a sugary drinks company. Soft drinks are the largest source of sugar in children and teenagers' diets, associated with weight gain and obesity, diabetes, heart disease and poor dental health."
Professor Simon Capewell from the University of Liverpool, vice-president-elect at the Faculty of Public Health, said the deal was "scandalous". "People no longer tolerate sponsorship by tobacco companies. Why on earth should we tolerate sponsorship by a sugary drinks company?"
Merlin Entertainment, which owns the London Eye, says Coca-Cola's relationship with health is not a concern. Sahrette Saayman, Merlin's communications officer, said: "Our customers are free to consume what they want. Coca-Cola will bring fun activities to the London Eye, which is something we're looking forward to and delighted about."
