Cost of Coke goes up

Customers will have noticed a sharp increase in the price of fizzy, soft drinks.
Teariki Pennycook of CITC advised the Times on Friday this is because CITC has increased the prices on Coca Cola products due to price increases from the supplier Coca Cola Amatil NZ Ltd. This follows the increase imposed by government last year when it increased the levy on all imported sweet drinks from 40 per cent to 60 per cent. Pennycook said letter had been sent to all customers advising the increase took effect from the Thor Pacific voyage V124 which arrived at the end of October 2009.
He said between October and December, CITC had absorbed the increase in cost but with the increase also in the government levy, the position has proven uneconomic to maintain.
The new prices take effect from Friday 4 December 2009.
Coca Cola representative George George told the Times the increase, coming just before Christmas was unfortunate for local consumers especially those in the outer islands.
James Beer of Manea Foods told the Times on Friday he was not surprised at government raising the levy to 60 per cent on soft drinks. Beer said his personal opinion was that the levy should be higher as fizzy drinks are not good for your health. He puts them in the same group as alcohol.
Beer said Manea Foods was not a big importer of fizzy soft drinks. He said his company had an social obligation to ensure unhealthy foodstuffs were slowly weeded out of the economy.

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