Sussex University bans Coca-Cola products from campus

London, Aug 21 (UNI) Sussex University is the first British campus to ban all Coca-Cola products from its students' union in protest at the company's allegedly unethical practices. Other campuses are expected to follow suit, amid calls for a nationwide student boycott of the soft drinks giant.

Along with India, universities in the US have also banned Coca-Cola. Campaigners also claim that bottling plants in India have depleted local water tables and deprived farmers of their livelihoods. In Colombia and other South American states, the company has been accused of ignoring anti-union abuses at its factories.

The President of Sussex University's students' union Dan Glass said, ''We had objections to Coca-Cola on the grounds of health but the really big things were the anti-union practices in Colombia and the environmental damage they have done in India ... Our ultimate goal is to make Coca-Cola accountable for the crimes it has committed, but by banning all its products from the campus, we can hit them where it hurts them most - in the wallet.'' Coca-Cola products will be withdrawn from all the campus bars from this week and replaced with organic colas, as well as the Virgin soft drinks range.

Other universities, including Middlesex, Leeds, Portsmouth and the University of East Anglia, are planning to remove products from their campuses.

The National Union of Students is investigating the allegations surrounding the company following an emergency resolution at its annual conference in June. UK Students Against Coca-Cola, a pressure group, hopes the investigation will lead to the NUSSL terminating all its contracts with Coca-Cola.

UNI XC SI KN1810