Coca-Cola Shares Additional $1.5 Million To Fight Citrus Greening

The University of Florida Foundation announced a second gift of $1.5 million from the Coca-Cola Co. in support of long-term citrus greening research.

The contribution, to be distributed in $500,000 increments during the next three years, will be used to fund sustainable research programs managed by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) — a UF direct support organization aimed at, among other things, eliminating the threat of citrus greening.
“This grant from Coca-Cola allows UF/IFAS researchers to move farther, faster, as they work to find a cure for citrus greening,” said Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “It takes everyone in the industry working together to fight this.”

This is Coca-Cola’s second $1.5 million contribution to UF’s CRDF in three years, bringing its total donation to $3 million. Coca-Cola-sponsored research has yielded potential interventions for disease control. “Matching their earlier contribution of three years ago, Coca-Cola’s now second generous contribution of $1.5 million reflects their full commitment to the fight of the Florida citrus growers against greening,” said Tom Jerkins, CRDF president.