No Coke for British Campus

Not long ago I had the story about various Indian provinces banning Coke and Pepsi. Now the ban on Coke has spread to a British university:

Britain's University of Sussex has banned all Coca-Cola products from its student union to protest the company's alleged business practices.

Other British campuses are expected to follow suit amid calls for a nationwide student boycott against the soft drink giant, the Independent reported Saturday.

U.K. Students Against Coca-Cola has been pressuring the purchasing consortium that provides food and drink to British campuses to cancel its four multimillion-dollar contracts with Coke, the newspaper said.

Sussex students cited heath concerns such high pesticide levels that prompted several Indian states to outlaw the product. The protesters also claim Coca-Cola bottling plants in India have depleted local water tables and deprived farmers of their livelihoods. In Colombia and other South American countries, it is accused of ignoring anti-union abuses at its factories.

Coca-Cola had no immediate comment on the Sussex ban.

The Brits serve their soft drinks without ice, so I can't blame them for not wanting to drink Coke. It tastes like crap without ice.

These fads usually start in the U.S., and one Michigan campus has already instituted one of these silly bans. I'm sure this ban will spread to other "socially conscious" schools.