Government's Line On Sugary Drinks Too Soft: Campaigners

Tuesday, December 12th 2006

• Tweet

Full-sugar fizzy and energy drinks will be removed from all secondary schools by 2009, after a voluntary agreement between the Government and two of the biggest beverage companies.

But they intend to continue selling fruit juice and carbonated diet drinks, several containing caffeine.

This has angered some anti-obesity campaigners who believe the Government should be taking a harder line.

Health Minister Pete Hodgson said the agreement, reached with Coca-Cola Amatil and Frucor Beverages - which sells Just Juice, Myzone, Fresh Up, V and distributes Pepsi here - would see 1.1 million litres of full sugar beverages removed over the next three years.

The average 330ml can contains about eight teaspoons of sugar.

The Government believed a "prohibitionist" approach would not work, as a total ban risked alienating children and turning fizzy drinks into a "forbidden fruit", he said.

Mr Hodgson thanked the companies for their "leadership" and said the agreement was a world first.

Yet earlier this year, Mr Hodgson warned the industry he'd regulate to remove the products if the industry failed to copy their United States' counterparts, who agreed to a voluntary ban in May.

At the time, Coca-Cola Amatil, which pulled similar products out of New Zealand primary schools in 2003, said it had no plans to follow suit.

The US deal was brokered by former President Bill Clinton, but did not involve the Government, enabling Mr Hodgson to call it a world first.

Coca-Cola Amatil managing director George Adams said there was "no silver bullet" to obesity, but the industry wanted to "do its bit".

The decision would have a multimillion-dollar impact on the company, but he could not give specific costs.

He hoped the debate would now shift towards areas which had a much greater impact on obesity, including education about healthy eating and personal responsibility.

Frucor Beverages chief executive Carl Bergstrom said soft drinks only accounted for about 2 per cent of the energy intake of children.

It was important that children who were not physically active were encouraged to choose alternative drinks.

Green MP Sue Kedgley said children would continue to be exposed to "nutritionless, enamel-destroying soft drinks with addictive and controversial additives in them".

The so-called agreement was a public relations move, designed to enable the companies to keep selling their products in school vending machines, she said.

"I am deeply disappointed that the Health Minister has not followed his British and French counterparts and required that all soft drinks are removed from schools - not just sugar-filled ones."

Diet drinks might also contain additives like aspartame "which has been linked to cancer in animals", she said.

Mr Bergstrom said there was no more caffeine in diet soft drink than there was in a cup of tea.

He dismissed the aspartame claim, saying it was approved by the World Health Organisation.

Mr Hodgson said the Government would next year unveil a set of non-compulsory guidelines informing schools what food and drinks should or should not be sold.

He said no decisions had been made on how diet soft drinks and fruit juices should be rated, but water and low-fat milk would be rated as the beverages of choice.

The Government is thinking of using a "traffic light" ratings system for the guidelines.

Asked how Coca-Cola Amatil would feel if its diet drinks got a "red light", Mr Adams said: "We would be reasonably unhappy."

Source, New Zealand Herald, Tuesday 12 December 2006. By Ruth Berry

Footnote from Ideal Health

The following products are all useful for Energy:

100% Natural Blueberry
Advanced B
Energ-V
Iron4every1
Junior Immunofort
Max - Out Chocolate
Multi-Vite
Superior Iron
ProCrunch Protein Bar
Vitamin and Mineral Boost Powder
Whey Protein - Vanilla
Yummi Bears Multi-Vitamin & Mineral

Related health information can be found here:

Beware of Aspartame or NutraSweet - it's not as sweet as it sounds!
Common foods that could be a problem
Energy
Fatigue
Foods to help detoxification
Immunity
Looking for a natural energy booster with the added cleansing power of chlorophyll?
Looking for a sugar alternative? Try Stevia
Protein - a macronutrient so often overlooked
Water, the elixir of life

Related articles can be found here:

Detox Your Body - Improve Your Energy

Drinks in a Fix Over Caffeine

NADH: Energy Incarnate

Top Marks to Water-only School

Vitamin B100

 

If you need help or advice, you are welcome to email our naturopathic team with your health question.

Disclaimer: The health information presented here has been written for the New Zealand health consumer. It is of a general nature and is only intended to provide a summary of the subjects covered. The information is not intended to be comprehensive or to provide medical advice to you. While all care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, no responsibility or liability is accepted, and no person should act in reliance on any statement contained in the information provided. All health ailments should be treated by a qualified health professional.

ref:n476

• Tweet