Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence said Sydney University does not condone any intimidation against their researchers. Sydney University's Vice-Chancellor, Michael Spence, said: "We do not condone any form of intimidation against our researchers, whether in person or covertly, and fully support Professor Lisa Bero's work." The head of the Charles Perkins Centre, Professor Stephen Simpson, said that while he wasn't surprised at the monitoring, "it is kind of creepy". A spokesperson for Coca-Cola South Pacific said it "is interested in keeping abreast of research project outcomes when that research is published". He said: "Coca-Cola regularly speaks with academics and, in fact, we have met personally with academics from the Charles Perkins Centre."

Academic director of the Charles Perkins Centre said Coke's plan to monitor his centre is "kind of creepy". Credit:Louise Kennerley Coca-Cola is a large contributor to research on the impacts of exercise on health in what critics have called "astroturfing" – the covert development of opinion supporting a position in a way to make it appear to be unsolicited research. Last year, Coca-Cola was forced to reveal the organisations to which it donated after The New York Times revealed widespread secret funding of organisations that said lack of exercise, not poor dietary decisions, was the major contributor to obesity. Illustration: Simon Letch Regarding the private email concerning Professor Bero's work, Coca-Cola told Fairfax it "sees no reason to believe the email is not real". The report covered a talk in January given by visiting US nutritionist Marion Nestle, who is a vocal opponent of Coca-Cola's influence on health research.

The emailed report in Australia was eventually sent to Michael Goltzman, Coke's global vice-president for public affairs on January 28. It was written by Andrea Mortensen of Appetite Communications, a Sydney PR firm, which has worked for the Australian Sugar Industry Alliance, Sugar Australia and the Sugar Research Advisory Service. As well as keeping tabs on Professor Bero, Ms Mortensen's report said Coke needed to highlight its "trust strategy and transparency initiative", to "monitor social media" relating to Professor Nestle's visit and "monitor conference presentations and key influencer discussions". On her company's website, Ms Mortensen, describes herself as a "busy mother of two [who] loves discovering great tasting, quick and healthy meal ideas". She did not reply to questions from Fairfax Media. Screen grab of email report sent by Andrea Mortensen. Credit:DC Leaks

Coca-Cola said it "regularly participates in events involving health and well-being experts". Coke's secret plan was revealed in a dump of emails from within the soft-drink company published this month on the whistleblower site, DC Leaks. Those emails showed a close link between Coca-Cola's campaign to stop a tax on sugary drinks and the Clinton campaign for US president. Capricia Marshall, who advises the Clinton camp is also an adviser to Coke. Professor Bero, who moved to Sydney University from the University of California, San Francisco, in 2014, said she felt like "history is repeating itself". "When tobacco industry documents were released in the US they revealed that my work was monitored and reported on to the tobacco companies as early as 1993," she said. "Monitoring independent research is a common strategy among corporate interests."

The head of the Charles Perkins Centre, Professor Stephen Simpson, said: "On the one hand, it's not surprising that Coca-Cola [is] tracking academic activity that may impact upon their business. It's testament to the quality and impact of our work that they should wish to follow Professor Bero's research. "But on the other hand, it is kind of creepy." Professor Nestle was a visiting fellow to the Charles Perkins Centre in January. She supports what is know as a "soda tax" in the US, a levy on sugary drinks to reduce their consumption. Coca-Cola and other producers of sugary beverages are opposed to the tax. On her blog, Professor Nestle said "I've been Wikileaked!". She wrote: "By now I assume that someone from Coca-Cola is taking notes at every talk I give and reporting in to headquarters." The reveal of emails from within the Coca-Cola company were newsworthy in the US as they showed a link between Coke's campaign against the "soda tax" and a senior adviser to the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Capricia Marshall is advising the Clinton campaign as well as advising Coca-Cola. The Clinton family's connection to Coca-Cola are documented in Professor Nestle's book, Soda Politics.

Professor Marion Nestle in Sydney in February. Credit:Louise Kennerley Professor Nestle told Fairfax Media: "I knew there was someone there from Coca-Cola, but I had no idea she was taking notes and sending them around to half the world. "The notes were accurate. But more interesting are the recommendations for following up on my subsequent lectures, media interviews, and social media and for closely tracking Lisa Bero's research. "What these particular emails – and those in the rest of the trove – make clear is that Coca-Cola has a global strategy for protecting its sales and profits and will attend to even the tiniest matter that might counter them. "All of this fits into the bigger picture of soda-industry efforts to fight public health efforts: lobbying against regulation, opposing tax initiatives, funding favourable research, donating to community organisations, and all of the other methods I described in Soda Politics."

Screen grab of report by Andrea Mortensen for Coca-Cola. Credit:DC Leaks Professor Bero said that revelations of Coke's plan will "strengthen our research as we know it will be scrutinised by groups who may be concerned about the outcomes". While Professor Bero is not intimidated by plans to monitor her research, she said such monitoring can have "chilling effects on independent researchers, particularly junior researchers". Vice-chancellor Dr Spence said: "The Charles Perkins Centre was established in order to pursue bold thinking and turn conventional wisdom on its head in the pursuit of solving some of society's greatest health challenges. It follows that such provocative research could unsettle those opposed to reform." A spokesman for Coca-Cola South Pacific said: "In this case a staff member from Coca-Cola attended the lecture, alongside a consultant, both of whom are members of the Nutrition Society of Australia who hosted the event. These details were disclosed in their event registration as well as a part of their membership.

"As the event was open to all NSA members it was well attended by around 80 students, academics, dietitians, and food and beverage industry representatives from other major companies." The Nutrition Society of Australia told Fairfax Media that people attend their events as individuals and not as representatives of specific organisations or companies. Other than to say it is interested in research when it is published, Coca-Cola did not specifically respond to the following questions: How many meetings did the Coca-Cola company pay someone to attend and take notes during Marion Nestle's tour?

Does Coca-Cola pay other people to attend other meetings at universities and/or academics and report on them?

What subsequent monitoring of the Charles Perkins Centre and Lisa Bero in particular has Coca-Cola engaged in?

What future monitoring of research and projects at the Charles Perkins Centre, Sydney University and/or Lisa Bero is Coca-Cola planning to undertake?