Interview: Jessica Badger of the American Beverage Association

As part of our project, we are required to interview someone who is involved in the issue that we are campaigning for. I chose to interview someone from Americans Against Food Taxes (AAFT), a coalition spearheaded by the American Beverage Association (ABA). My interviewee is Jessica Badger, communications manager for the American Beverage Association.

Although the coalition is actively opposed to a soda tax—whereas I am actively supportive of a soda tax—I thought it would be interesting to interview someone from AAFT because they have been the most prominent in the debate over the issue. I appreciate that representatives at AAFT took the time to respond to my questions, and I hope you will find them as enlightening as I have.

What is your role or title in the organization? What are your primary duties?

I am a member of the communications team with the American Beverage Association (ABA), the organization spearheading the Americans Against Food Taxes coalition. In this capacity, our primary role is to inform and educate various stakeholders, including the media and the public, about the soda tax issue and why it is the wrong policy to address obesity.

How long have you been involved with Americans Against Food Taxes?

The AAFT coalition launched in June.

What motivated you to get involved?

ABA spearheaded AAFT to bring together individuals, businesses and community organizations who believe that beverage taxes are the wrong approach to reducing obesity and also are concerned that such taxes would have a negative impact on our consumers, employees and businesses.

Did you have any previous experience with public relations, advertising or campaigning?

I have worked as a communications professional for nearly seven years, almost four of which have been with the American Beverage Association.

You have implemented a variety of media, including press releases, TV ads, Twitter, YouTube and a Web site. What other forms of media have you chosen to use? What medium, in your opinion, has been most efficient or effective in getting your message across? Why?

We have utilized both traditional and non-traditional media in our proactive and reactive efforts around the soda tax issue. Reactively, our organization responds to negative articles and news stories on the soda tax through media outreach, rapid response efforts including letters to the editor and news releases/statements. ABA and AAFT also have proactively earned media through pitching media outlets and engaging them in discussion of the facts. Oftentimes, our perspective has earned AAFT equal time from networks, blogs and newspapers. One example of this was ABA President and CEO Susan Neely’s “Solutions, Not Soundbites” opinion-editorial which ran in The Huffington Post earlier this year and was pitched aggressively by our team to counter a previous opinion piece in support of a beverage tax.

All of these methods work to reinforce the message that we’re not going to solve the complexities of the health care system with a tax on soda pop.

Why do you think it’s important for citizens to get involved to promote a cause?

By joining a coalition such as AAFT, Americans can make their voice heard, which sends a powerful message to our elected officials.

How long has AAFT been around? How did it come to be?

AAFT was established in June 2009 in response to a proposed federal tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.

How many people are currently involved in AAFT?

AAFT is comprised of nearly 500 member organizations and more than 75,000 individual petition signers. In addition, individuals have sent more than 130,000 letters to their representatives in Congress, telling them to oppose food and beverage taxes.

Do you have a mix of professionals and volunteers? How have the professionals helped the cause? How have volunteers contributed?

The coalition is spearheaded by the ABA and works collectively to push out information and inform others about AAFT.

Since AAFT is closely linked with the American Beverage Association, have you faced criticism that you represent industry interests rather than the interests of the average American? How do you respond to that?

It is important to note that a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages would impact American families, not just our industry. Those involved in the coalition, petition signers and individuals who have written to their representatives are all echoing the same message: A tax on sodas will not work. A tax won’t make people healthier. And with the economic downturn, there could not be a worse time to ask people to pay more.

How do you feel that special-interest organizations, and AAFT specifically, benefit the public debate?

It’s important that lawmakers are informed on the issues. Soft drink sales have declined 9.6 percent since 2000, but CDC data shows that adult and childhood obesity rates have risen during that period. And the only two states that have excise taxes on soda in place, West Virginia and Arkansas, rank among the ten highest rates of obesity in the nation. Groups like AAFT allow their members to share information and to be heard, loud and clear, in a unified voice.