Authored by: FIELD
Co-authored by: Abey, Alliende, Bedogne, Crother, Gebre, Hecht, Hodgson, Kanjamala, Pando, Penny, Rice, Schlosser, Talreja
Co-sponsored by: Fujimoto, Shurman, Leschyn, Raghunathan, Ojeda, Klein
Introduced by: Environmental Policy and Planning Commission
UC Davis’ current Pouring Rights Contract (PRC), which is set to expire soon, grants PepsiCo exclusive privileges to sell and promote beverages on campus in return for sponsorship and other financial contributions.
UC Davis’ association with PepsiCo is in contradiction with our campus’ environmental standards, promotes sugar consumption, limits beverage choice, and increases beverage prices.
UC Davis is the #1 Most Sustainable University in North America in 2022.
PepsiCo is the second largest plastic polluter in the world, producing over 2 million metric tonnes of plastic packaging annually.
The promotion of beverage sales in single-use containers on campus directly undermines UC Davis’ waste reduction and carbon footprint goals.
The PRC hindered UC Davis from achieving its zero waste goal by 2020.
Revenue from the PRC amounts to less than 0.015% of the University’s total revenue.
PRCs not only promote the consumption of beverages high in added sugar, but they also often limit and exclude healthier options and fail to prioritize access to tap water.
After UCSF discontinued the sale of sugary drinks throughout their campus and improved access to tap water, an evaluation published in JAMA showed improved markers of health in staff who had previously had the highest intakes of sugary drinks.
PRCs create monopolistic conditions, preventing students and staff from accessing a wider variety of beverage options, including healthier or more sustainable drink choices than those offered by the exclusive sponsor; and,
These monopolistic conditions also lead to increased beverage prices through annual price escalations. This results in students potentially paying higher prices for beverages on campus compared to off-campus alternatives, which is especially concerning considering the significant prevalence of food insecurity among UC Davis students.
LET IT BE RESOLVED THAT, the ASUCD calls on the University of California, Davis not to renew their PRC with PepsiCo or to accept a new Request for Proposal (RFP) from any other organization for a PRC and for the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) to issue a moratorium on any PRCs systemwide.
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED THAT, the ASUCD Senate requests all ASUCD Units to opt-out of the PRC should the University choose to sign one with PepsiCo or Coca-Cola.
Good for these advocates. Anti-monopolistic policies are pro-capitalism.