Contributors to a recent New York Times “Room for Debate” column have urged CVS Caremark Corp. to stop selling soda, energy drinks and high-calorie snacks in the wake of its decision to discontinue the sale of tobacco products. Noting in her debate response that “food is not tobacco,” New York University Nutrition Professor Marion Nestle nevertheless encourages the retailer to increase its sales of fruits, vegetables and healthy snacks while decreasing the availability of items like soda, ice cream and chips. “If CVS wants to counter obesity,” she opines, “dropping soft drinks is a good place to start. They have scads of sugars, and kids who drink them regularly take in more calories, are fatter and have worse diets than kids who do not.” In addition, a senior scientist at the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions calls on CVS pharmacies to prohibit the sale of caffeinated energy drinks…
Tag Archives soda/soft drink
According to New York Times food commentator Mark Bittman, Beyoncé Knowles has joined a list of celebrities who have entered endorsement deals for products “that may one day be ranked with cigarettes as a killer.” The singer has apparently agreed to “have the Pepsi logo painted on her lips and have a limited-edition Pepsi can bearing her likeness.” She will also be seen during the “Pepsi Super Bowl halftime show, where she’ll be introduced by 50 of her luckiest and best-gyrating fans who have been selected through a contest.” In his article titled “Why Do Stars Think It’s O.K. To Sell Soda?,” Bittman notes that Knowles supported first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign by stating that she was “excited to be part of this effort that addresses a public health crisis,” but has now “become part of an effort that promotes a public health crisis.” He observes that product…
A recent study has allegedly concluded that soft drink consumption “is significantly linked to overweight, obesity and diabetes worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries.” Sanjay Basu, et al., “Relationship of Soft Drink Consumption to Global Overweight, Obesity, and Diabetes: A Cross-National Analysis of 75 Countries,” American Journal of Public Health, November 2013. Relying on soft drink industry data obtained from the EuroMonitor Passport Global Market Information Database, researchers analyzed soft drink sale records for 79 countries from 1997 to 2010 that included per capita annual purchases of both imported and domestically-produced carbonated soft drinks. They also examined age-standardized overweight prevalence data obtained from the World Health Organization’s Global Database on Body Mass Index, which reflects “the best available population-representative, survey-based estimates of the percentage of adults aged 20 years and older in each country who had a [BMI] of 25 kg/m2 of greater.” After assessing “global trends and variation…
India’s Supreme Court has reportedly accepted a government scientific panel’s finding that the chemical additives in soft drinks— e.g., artificial sweeteners, phosphoric acid, carbon dioxide, coloring agents, benzoic acid, and caffeine—are well within safety levels and do not pose a health hazard to citizens. According to a news source, the Union government insisted that the Food Supply and Standards Act, 2006, along with its rules and regulations, constituted a “vigorous regulatory regime and [was] being implemented meticulously.” At the same time, however, the court ordered the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India to monitor and conduct regular checks of all carbonated soft drinks sold in the country, indicating that the matter relates to citizens’ fundamental right to life guaranteed under the Constitution. The order was passed by a bench composed of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and A.K. Sikri, who were hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the establishment of an independent…
National and local health groups have sent an August 1, 2013, letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack, urging the agency to allow demonstration projects “designed to promote healthier food and beverage purchases” under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Organizations such as the American Heart Association, American Medical Association and Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) have asked USDA to approve SNAP pilot projects as part of an effort to provide the agency and Congress with the data needed “to make an informed decision concerning ways to improve the nutritional quality of purchases through the SNAP program.” According to a concurrent CSPI press release, these projects “might include curbs on purchases of soda and other sugar drinks or unhealthful foods.” “Most Americans’ diets, including the diets of low-income folks served by SNAP, are overflowing with soft drinks and woefully deficient in whole grains and…
Former basketball star Shaquille O’Neal reportedly plans to endorse a new line of “low calorie sodas” that critics say promote obesity and other health problems. The Soda Shaq line is manufactured by AriZona beverages and will be distributed by convenience retailer 7-Eleven at stores nationwide. A press release announcing the product states that Soda Shaq contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, is made with pure cane sugar and contains only 90 calories per serving, allowing fans to “satisfy their sweet tooth without the guilt from the very first clean and refreshing sip.” Consumer advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), however, claims that each 24-ounce can of Soda Shaq contains three servings, or 270 calories, and 17 teaspoons of sugar per can. “Despite the implausible assertion on the label that the non-resealable vessel contains three servings, a single can of Soda Shaq cream soda contains…
The New York Supreme Court Appellate Division recently heard arguments in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s (DOHMH’s) appeal of an order striking down its initiative to limit the size of sodas sold in restaurants and other venues. According to media reports, city lawyer Fay Ng argued that, contrary to the lower court’s decision, the “Portion Cap Rule” did not exceed DOHMH’s authority and has a rational basis in the need to curb rising obesity rates without entirely precluding consumer choice. In overturning the regulation, which would have taken effect March 12, 2013, New York Supreme Court Judge Milton Tingling not only ruled that DOHMH lacked “the authority to limit or ban a legal item under the guise of ‘controlling chronic disease,’” but that the measure would have “arbitrary and capricious consequences” arising from “uneven enforcement” and “loopholes,” such as application to some but not all…
The New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has reportedly launched an ad campaign targeting beverages with added sugars, such as sports drinks, teas and energy drinks. Part of a four-year “Pouring on the Pounds” campaign that has compared sweetened soft drinks to sugar packets and fat globs, the new TV ads apparently feature the physical effects of diabetes, an overweight man drinking a neon-blue beverage and a surgeon manipulating a diseased heart with tweezers. The effort comes on the eve of the city’s appearance before a state appeals court to defend its vacated limits on the size of sugar-sweetened beverages sold in certain retail venues. Oral argument is scheduled for June 11, 2013. Additional information about the lower court’s ruling appears in Issue 475 of this Update. See Bloomberg News, June 3, 2013.
Citing the loss of millions of euros, the Danish government is reportedly abandoning its 80-year tax on soft drinks because consumers are crossing the border to shop in Germany instead. “This decision is the result of concerted efforts to highlight the negative impact of the tax,” said Niels Hald, secretary general of the Danish soft drinks association, Bryggeriforeningen. “In taking this step the Danish government acknowledged the regressive nature of the tax, its negative impact on regional jobs close to the borders and the adverse environmental consequences of border trade.” Removal of the tax will reportedly take place in two stages, with a 50-percent reduction as of July 1, 2013, and full elimination as of January 1, 2014. The decision comes months after the Danish government repealed a similar tax on foods with high concentrations of saturated fat and stopped a proposed sugar tax last year. See UNESDA News Release, April…
A recent study has reportedly claimed that “restricting larger-sized drinks may have the unintended consequence of increasing soda consumption rather than decreasing it.” Brent Wilson, et al., “Regulating the Way to Obesity: Unintended Consequences of Limiting Sugary Drink Sizes,” PLoS One, April 2013. Researchers apparently conducted a behavioral simulation in which 100 University of California, San Diego, students “were offered varying food and drink menus” that replaced larger drink offerings with bundles of smaller drinks. According to the study, the menus given to participants included: (i) an Unregulated menu offering 16-oz., 24-oz. or 32-oz. drinks for sale; (ii) a Bundle menu offering 16-oz. drinks, a bundle of two 12-oz. drinks, or a bundle of two 16-oz. drinks for sale; and (iii) a No Bundle menu offering only 16-oz. drinks for sale. The results evidently showed that participants bought “significantly more ounces of soda from the Bundle menu than from the…
