Whistleblower: Coca-Cola paid NAACP millions to call parents racist if they opposed sugary diets

A whistleblower said he was in the room when Coca-Cola paid the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People millions of dollars to accuse parents of racism if they did not agree with soda being included in food stamp funding, among other claims.

Calley Means, author and co-founder of True Medicine, revealed on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" and a Twitter thread that he formerly consulted for the soda giant Coca-Cola, during which time he witnessed the company "give millions to the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation — both directly and through front groups."

"Being inside of the room there are three parts of the playbook to rig the system," Means told Tucker Carlson.

"It's transactional, they say the quiet part out loud; Coke will give — in this case the NAACP — millions of dollars for the NAACP to call opponents — in this case parents who are concerned about their kids ingesting 100 times more sugar than they did 100 years ago — to call them racist and shut down debate," Means explained.

Calling the practice "evil," Means said it was his job to battle sugar taxes and defend the product's inclusion in food stamps.

"Early in my career, I consulted for Coke to ensure sugar taxes failed and soda was included in food stamp funding," Means stated.

Means also supplied a screenshot from a 2013 report that alleges Coca-Cola gave millions to other companies in exchange for influence.

The report states that "the national NAACP [received] at least $2.1 million from the soda giant since 1986," including $100,000 that same year. It also says that Coca-Cola gave the American Academy of Family Physicians a $600,000 grant in 2009 for a new website. The report claims that the AAFP uses industry-friendly language and a soft approach on discouraging sugary drinks.

In addition, the report says that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry hedged its position on the extent to which soda causes cavities after receiving a $1 million grant from from Coca-Cola.

Means explained to Carlson that paying for slanted studies is "as easy and transactional as going into McDonald's and buying a Big Mac."

Listing the third way companies like Coca-Cola "rig the system," Means mentioned that "Coke and processed-food companies spend 11 times more on nutrition research than the NIH," adding that the companies are "expecting something in return."

Means also operates a blog in which he typically writes about corporate influence in medicine as well as pharmaceuticals.