Rudd Radar
PepsiCo Imposes an Employee Sin Tax
April 20, 2012
PepsiCo charges its employees $50 a month if they smoke or have obesity-related medical problems such as diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure as part of a wellness program initiated several years ago.
"Pepsi's policy is highly discriminatory and unfairly singles out people affected by obesity. This is also an unfortunate example of a company making products that can be harmful to health and then blaming the people who are suffering the harm. A parallel would be Philip Morris charging fees to their employees who smoke cigarettes,” says Rebecca Puhl, PhD, Rudd Center Director of Research and Weight Stigma Initiatives.
