California Assembly Member Das Williams (D-Santa Barbara) recently introduced a bill (A.B. 1746) that would restrict the sale of sports drinks from middle and high schools throughout the state. If enacted, the legislation would prohibit the sale of “electrolyte replacement beverages” during school hours as of July 1, 2013. “Sports drinks are an inappropriate option for California students,” said Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. “They were designed for athletes who have been sweating for an hour or more, not for children as they walk across campus or eat their lunch.” See Press Release of Assembly Member Das Williams, February 21, 2012.
Category Archives Issue 429
Danish Food and Agriculture Minister Mette Gjerskov has reportedly urged the European Union (EU) and its member states to support improved animal welfare standards. In January 2012, the European Commission released a new animal welfare strategy, details of which were covered in Issue 425 of this Update. Speaking to an international conference in Brussels, Belgium, Gjerskov asserted that the “increasing” transportation of animals for slaughter across Europe was “worrying,” as evidenced by a petition signed by 1 million EU citizens who have challenged current regulations allowing such journeys to exceed 24 hours by calling for an eight-hour maximum. “The fact that so many people signed a petition is a signal to politicians that there is great concern about how we care for animals,” Gjerskov said. “We need to raise standards beyond legal requirements.” See theparliament.com, February 29, 2012.
A recent data brief issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has suggested that children and adolescents consume more added sugar calories from food as opposed to beverages. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which relied on data from the National Health and Examination Survey, “Boys consumed more calories per day from added sugars than girls,” with caloric intake from added sugars increasing linearly with age for both boys and girls. In particular, NCHS reported that (i) pre-school aged boys and girls (2-5 years) consumed 13.5 percent and 13.1 percent of their calories from added sugars, respectively; (ii) school-age boys and girls (6-11 years) consumed 16.6 percent and 15.7 percent of their calories from added sugars, respectively; and (iii) adolescent boys and girls (12-19 years) consumed 17.5 percent and 16.6 percent of their calories from added sugars, respectively. NCHS also noted some differences in…
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