Current issueThe Worldwide Battle Against Soft Drinks in Schools
Introduction
It is commonly perceived that rising sugar intakes are contributing to the growing prevalence of obesity worldwide. According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO),1 the global availability of sugar and sweeteners for consumption rose from 193 calories per person per day in 1961–1963 to 243 in 2001–2003. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) around the world is thought2 to be an important contributor to this increase. In the U.S., SSBs (including drinks sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup) are now the primary source of added dietary sugars3 and have been linked3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 to excessive body weight and other chronic conditions.
Although the U.S. is the largest consumer of carbonated soft drinks in the world (54,981 million liters in 2007), consumption is increasing elsewhere. Industry data11 indicate that the total volume of carbonated soft drinks consumed in the U.S. fell by 0.6% between 2002 and 2007 but rose by 12.7% in western Europe, 28% in Eastern Europe, 23% in Latin America, 18.9% in the Asia Pacific region, 21.5% in the Middle East and Africa, and 2.7% in Australasia. These increases indicate that consumption growth of all soft drinks is higher outside the U.S., raising further concerns about the growth of obesity. As in the U.S., several countries are beginning to take action against SSBs.
Section snippets
Schools As a Target Market for Soft Drinks
In the U.S., the soft drinks industry has utilized schools to promote their products for decades. More than 85% of U.S. high school students now have soft drinks available to them in vending machines.12 Likewise, in the rest of the world, the soft drinks industry has targeted schools as a means of reaching young consumers. In the late 1990s, for example, the Latin American bottler Panamco (now owned by Coca-Cola Femsa) developed a specific program to target schools. In Costa Rica, the Schools
Government-Led Efforts
National or subnational governmental bodies have acted, in most cases since 2004, to limit the availability of soft drinks in schools in at least 30 countries around the world.14 The policies take many different forms. Lithuania, Malaysia, and New Zealand have developed national regulations; Australia and Brazil have developed regulations at a state or municipal level; and Croatia and the U.S. have done both. Some countries have developed nonbinding guidelines, as in the Canadian provinces. In
Industry-Led Approaches
Through their trade associations, global soft drinks companies have developed voluntary pledges on soft drinks in schools in the U.S.,15 Canada,16 Australia,17 the European Union,18 and reportedly in New Zealand.19 The International Council of Beverage Associations20 has developed guidelines on marketing to children, but as of February 2010 the guidelines did not include availability in schools.
The pledges, all made since 2006, are derivatives of each other. The wording of the Refreshments
Implementation and Effectiveness
Little information is available on the implementation of government policies. Some jurisdictions report21, 22, 23 that policies have been implemented, but anecdotal evidence from other areas suggests that policies either are not yet in place or are not being enforced (e.g., Fiji, Greece, and Malaysia).
The industry has monitored three of the voluntary pledges. In the U.S., the American Beverage Association reported24 that 79% of school contracts are in compliance with the school beverage
Research Needs and Challenges
The international variation of policies on soft drink availability in schools presents an opportunity to examine the effects of various policy options, especially with regard to the effects of different levels of restrictions. Such research could help identify policies that are most likely to succeed, information that is currently lacking for obesity prevention in general.39 However, such studies need to be undertaken with care because policies may have intangible, and/or long-term effects that
The Future
Governmental bodies around the world are taking increasing action to address the availability of soft drinks in schools. Since the evidence of the effects of restricting availability on consumption and health is still unclear and emerging, it is likely that these actions are being driven by the belief that high-calorie, nutrient-poor drinks no longer have a place in schools, and, moreover, that schools are an appropriate starting point to reduce total consumption of SSBs among youth. Soft
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Life cycle assessment of two packaging materials for carbonated beverages (polyethylene terephthalate vs. glass): Case study for the lebanese context and importance of the end-of-life scenarios
2021, Journal of Cleaner ProductionCitation Excerpt :The increase in the usage of fossil fuels is due to the increase in human activities especially in the industrial and transportation sectors. The soft drinks industry is an important industrial sector which includes a variety of drinks such as carbonated beverages, water and juice (Hawkes, 2010). However, this sector is one of the major consumers of packaging (Amienyo et al., 2013).
Sweetening of the global diet, particularly beverages: Patterns, trends, and policy responses
2016, The Lancet Diabetes and EndocrinologyCitation Excerpt :However, this assumption does not account for changes in industry behaviour in response to taxation policies, so the long-term effects are difficult to predict. A major focus of government actions around the world has been to improve the quality of foods available in schools.94 Although the policies vary substantially from place to place—eg, some set standards for meals, some for vending, some for all food in schools, and some are specific to sugar-sweetened beverages—a common feature is that they aim to restrict the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages.
Evaluation of compliance with the self-regulation agreement of the food and drink vending machine sector in primary schools in Madrid, Spain, in 2008
2014, Gaceta SanitariaCitation Excerpt :At the industry level, the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs (MSC for its acronym in Spanish) signed six agreements of voluntary collaboration with the private sector during the very first year of the strategy, a strong show of support for a self-regulating food and marketing industry.3 As the soft-drink industry has drawn on schools to encourage soda consumption among children, governments around the world are taking action to limit the availability of soft drinks in schools.4 This action is particularly relevant taking into account that in countries where vending machines are frequently placed in schools 20% of children drink more than four soda drinks a day.5
School soft drink availability and consumption among U.S. secondary students
2013, American Journal of Preventive MedicineCitation Excerpt :Soft drinks are the number one energy source and the number one source of added sugars.25 Policies aimed at reducing school SSB access are increasing.26 A 2006 voluntary agreement between leading U.S. beverage industry members and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation aimed to reduce school beverage caloric content and portion sizes.27
Report on childhood obesity in China (9): Sugar-sweetened beverages consumption and obesity
2012, Biomedical and Environmental SciencesDetermination of the total carbon in soft drinks by tungsten coil electrothermal vaporization inductively coupled plasma spectrometry
2011, Microchemical JournalCitation Excerpt :The global consumption of sugar has increased from 193 calories per person per day in 1961–1963, to 243 calories per person per day in 2001–2003 [3]. In the United States, high fructose corn syrup is often used as a sweetener and has been linked to excessive body weight, and other chronic conditions [3]. The soft drink industry is under regulation by the United States government, so accurate and reliable analytical methodologies are needed to verify the constituents and composition of these drinks.