A Bay of Plenty dairy is taking a stand against Coca-Cola, banning the soft drink giant's drinks from its shelves on environmental and health grounds.
The Okere Falls Store, near Rotorua, has put up a sign for customers, which it has also posted online, saying "If you like fizzy drinks we want to leave a better taste in your mouth. From mid-October we will no longer be stocking Coca-Cola products".
The owner, Sarah Uhl, told ONE News the store has already stopped using plastic bags.
"We sat down with the staff and said what else can we do."
The sign informs customers that plastic bottles take centuries to decompose and are poisoning the environment.
It also says fizzy drinks should be "as good for you as much as a fizzy drink can be" and should not be loaded with preservatives or certain ingredients.
Ms Uhl says a stocktake of the store identified Coke as the company creating the most unsustainable products.
She says the store will continue to stock fizzy drinks in future, but she will try to provide products that are low in sugar and artificial ingredients.
And, drinks will only be sold in glass or biodegradable plastic.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand is tomorrow opening a new beverage manufacturing plant, which it says is the largest in New Zealand at 10,000 square metres, at the Landing Business Park near Auckland Airport.
The new plant will produce a range of products from the company's range including juice range, locally owned flavoured waters, cordial and sports drinks, including the zero sugar range launched last year.
Coca-Cola says the new plant houses state-of-the-art production technology and specialty manufacturing lines that also allow for world-leading innovations in design, packaging and sustainability, with improvements in efficiency and energy use.
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