The list goes on. You can read the Guardian piece here: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
More on the soda-oil nexus over at Fieldnotes: fieldnotes.co/reporting/co...

Public Opinion Strategies, contracted by AmBev to conduct polling it would later use to lobby state officials, has worked for Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing Christian group connected to Leo’s ESG attack—and also the American Chemistry Council, American Petroleum Institute, and ExxonMobil.

The journalistically dubious “pink slime” media outlet that amplified the soda industry’s talking points is run by the Franklin Foundation, which has ties to Leonard Leo and Charles Koch. Leo & Koch have funded the right-wing attack on ESG.

The trade groups leading the effort—AmBev & Consumer Brands—regularly collab with oil, gas & petchem interests. AmBev is formally allied with American Chemistry Council, the leading chem lobby, and CBA boasts ExxonMobil as one of its top supporters, for ex.

And how does this all tie back to the Oil & Gas Industry? The short answer: Plastics & the petrochemicals they are made from. The longer one: Many of the players involved in the soda campaign also—shocker!—have their own ties to the O&G industry.

Also involved: a consumer-choice group that says it does grassroots work but whose leadership is made up entirely of American Beverage execs—including its CEO.

Several players have taken steps to obscure their connection to the campaign and one another. Ex: Tyson Group presents itself as a 5-man shop when in reality ALL 5 also work for a larger firm—part of a sprawling 14-firm network run by Phil Cox, once the no. 2 for the Koch family’s dark money group.

Many of the for-hire firms involved are run by well-connected GOP strategists and money men, including folks who have worked for—or currently sit on the board of—campaign orgs central to the GOP’s midterm hopes, including the Senate Leadership Fund and WinRed.

Comms obtained by @fieldnotes.co confirms industry lobbyists delivered this message to state lawmakers by pointing to polling the industry paid for itself—but not before they successfully laundered the polling through friendly media outlets.

Their not-so-subtle message to conservative lawmakers, delivered directly by lobbyists & indirectly via an industry front group & paid social-media influencers: Oppose the MAHA efforts or face a MAGA backlash.

The trade groups behind the effort are American Beverage & Consumer Brands, which together rep Coca-Cola, PepsiCo & major processed-food giants. Their most pressing goal: block MAHA bills that would curb how much soda and ultra-processed food Americans eat and drink.

The effort features paid “anti-woke” influencers, an obscure research group Lee Zeldin was working for when he was picked to lead US EPA & a “pink-slime” media outlet backed by right-wing billionaires Leonard Leo & Charles Koch, among others.

The list goes on. You can read the Guardian piece here: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

More on the soda-oil nexus over at Fieldnotes: fieldnotes.co/reporting/co...

Public Opinion Strategies, contracted by AmBev to conduct polling it would later use to lobby state officials, has worked for Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing Christian group connected to Leo’s ESG attack—and also the American Chemistry Council, American Petroleum Institute, and ExxonMobil.

The journalistically dubious “pink slime” media outlet that amplified the soda industry’s talking points is run by the Franklin Foundation, which has ties to Leonard Leo and Charles Koch. Leo & Koch have funded the right-wing attack on ESG.

The trade groups leading the effort—AmBev & Consumer Brands—regularly collab with oil, gas & petchem interests. AmBev is formally allied with American Chemistry Council, the leading chem lobby, and CBA boasts ExxonMobil as one of its top supporters, for ex.

And how does this all tie back to the Oil & Gas Industry? The short answer: Plastics & the petrochemicals they are made from. The longer one: Many of the players involved in the soda campaign also—shocker!—have their own ties to the O&G industry.

Also involved: a consumer-choice group that says it does grassroots work but whose leadership is made up entirely of American Beverage execs—including its CEO.

Several players have taken steps to obscure their connection to the campaign and one another. For ex, Tyson Group presents itself as a 5-man shop when in reality ALL 5 work for a firm that is part of a sprawling 14-firm network run by Phil Cox, once the no. 2 for the Koch family’s dark money group.