| The Problem | | | | It is easy to blame large corporations who |
| | | | manufacture soft drinks and other fast food |
| Perhaps the greatest challenge to a healthy | | | | products but the solution to the problem |
| lifestyle in the United States today is the | | | | ultimately rests within each individual |
| inclusion of carbonated soft drinks in the | | | | household family. For example, school |
| individual diet; this is particularly true in | | | | programs are subject to public scrutiny and |
| the diets of teenagers and younger children. | | | | input from concerned parents can be |
| Sales of carbonated soft drinks in | | | | particularly effective. |
| elementary, middle and high schools are of | | | | |
| particular concern to parents and consumer | | | | The American Dietetic Association and the |
| action groups. | | | | Center for Health and Health Care in Schools |
| | | | offer suggestions on how you can improve your |
| | | | child's nutrition at school and at home. Some |
| | | | of these examples are as follows: |
| However, evidence is starting to emerge that | | | | |
| soft drinks are not healthy for the | | | | - Get familiar with the menu. Keep a current |
| individual. Therefore, changes are required | | | | school lunch menu and discuss it with your |
| to ensure and establish a healthy life style | | | | child. Talk about making healthy choices. |
| for the soft drink consumer. | | | | Many schools offer choices that meet |
| | | | guidelines for good nutrition if students |
| - Characteristics of Carbonated Soft Drinks | | | | make the right choices. |
| | | | |
| Carbonated soft drinks are widely consumed | | | | - Ask questions. Find out who decides what is |
| and present a unique problem to those | | | | for lunch. Who determines school policies on |
| drinking the products. Although they are | | | | vending machines and snacks in the cafeteria |
| water based, much of their taste and appeal | | | | and student store. |
| comes from the addition of significant | | | | |
| amounts of sugar, sugar substitutes and other | | | | - Get involved. Join or start a parent |
| chemicals that are harmful to health. A good | | | | advisory council for the school food service |
| portion of their appeal however, comes from | | | | program. Learn how parents and students can |
| the promotion of the products in a way that | | | | participate in the decision making process. |
| is attractive to younger customers. | | | | |
| | | | - Support the nutrition education efforts at |
| Beverages containing significant amounts of | | | | school. If your school has an edible garden, |
| sugars stimulate the pancreas, boosting | | | | volunteer to help. If none exists, create |
| insulin levels and removing the body from its | | | | one. Sustainable Table has information about |
| natural fat burning state. Colas, in | | | | how to start one. |
| particular, contain caffeine, sugar, sodium | | | | |
| and acid that are extremely destructive to | | | | - Encourage your child to pack his/her own |
| human tissue. | | | | lunch. Help them pick healthy choices that |
| | | | are fun to eat, such as string cheese, fruit, |
| - Effect on Youth | | | | carrot sticks and pudding cups. If they pack |
| | | | it, they will be more likely to eat it. |
| High levels of carbonated soft drinks have | | | | |
| been traced to the increase in Childhood | | | | - Make your child a savvy media consumer. |
| Obesity. Obesity is a major health problem | | | | Kids are bombarded with TV advertisements for |
| for both adults and children. A surge of | | | | sugary cereal and treats. Point out the |
| obesity among children results in the | | | | techniques advertisers use to make their |
| increase rate of diabetes and other types of | | | | products attractive. |
| systemic health problems. | | | | |
| | | | - Teach your child about nutritional labels. |
| In the last two decades, the incidence of | | | | It will help their reading skills and make |
| obesity among adults and children has risen | | | | them a smart consumer if you make a game out |
| nearly 50 percent. As defined by federal | | | | of finding out how many names there are for |
| standards, approximately 30 percent of adults | | | | "sugar" in a label. |
| and 25 percent of children are considered | | | | |
| obese today. | | | | - Advocate for the laws you want. Write to |
| | | | your representatives at the state and federal |
| The sale of carbonated soft drink products is | | | | levels. Express your concerns about school |
| a major business by large corporations and | | | | lunches, the placement of vending machines at |
| advertising is one of the foremost components | | | | your child's school or requirements for |
| in the marketing mix. The messages | | | | physical education programs. |
| communicated in an effective marketing | | | | |
| campaign are powerful, yet subtle for all | | | | Source: "It Takes More than An Apple a Day to |
| listeners particularly children and teenagers | | | | Keep Your Child Healthy" |
| who have not yet developed a frame of | | | | |
| reference that allows understanding. | | | | There is currently and there continues to be |
| | | | progress in children's health education. In a |
| In a recent article by Susan Linn and Diane | | | | recent report commissioned by the American |
| E. Levin that studied the impact of | | | | Beverage Association, consumption of |
| advertising on children, the authors | | | | Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) decreased in |
| concluded that: | | | | high schools from 57.2% of the product mix in |
| | | | 2002 to 44.9% in 2005. |
| "Children are especially vulnerable to the | | | | |
| impact of advertising. A recent study out of | | | | Similarly, the consumption of water as a |
| Stanford University found that one 30-second | | | | percentage of the product mix increased from |
| commercial can influence the brand choices of | | | | 9.1% to 12.7% in the same period. Similar |
| children as young as 2. Repeated exposures to | | | | results were reported for middle and |
| ads are even more effective. Very young | | | | elementary schools. |
| children don't distinguish between a | | | | |
| commercial and television programming. And | | | | Continued effort and vigilance is required to |
| children under 8 aren't able to understand | | | | keep this project in constant development. |
| that ads are created to convince people to | | | | |
| buy products." | | | | - School Budgets and Fundraising |
| | | | |
| Source: "Stop Marketing 'Yummy Food' to | | | | An important element to consider in the fight |
| Children" | | | | against junk food obesity is the role of junk |
| | | | food products in fundraising for schools. As |
| In the past decade, techniques for marketing | | | | a result of across the board budget pressure |
| unhealthy food to children have become | | | | at all government levels, school boards have |
| increasingly sophisticated, subtle and | | | | reduced many activities or look toward other |
| effective. Marketing junk food in schools is | | | | non tax sources of funding. |
| a growth industry that includes direct | | | | |
| advertising, sponsorship of sports teams and | | | | Fundraising events for direct activities or |
| involvement with fundraisers that add revenue | | | | through booster clubs became an important |
| to schools for activities. | | | | source of funding for sporting and other |
| | | | activities. |
| The media is increasingly dominated by | | | | |
| advertising dollars from the food industry. | | | | An important source of revenue at fundraising |
| Some estimates of total food promotional | | | | events was the resale of soft drinks to |
| budgets exceed $30 Billion and continues to | | | | spectators; the profit was considerable. A |
| grow. | | | | program that replaces carbonated soft drinks |
| | | | in the schools for health reasons also |
| Childhood obesity in the United States has | | | | requires products that generate an equivalent |
| grown considerably in recent years. Unhealthy | | | | source of revenue. |
| weight gain due to poor diet and lack of | | | | |
| exercise is responsible for over 300,000 | | | | - The Pure Water Element |
| deaths each year. More shocking is that the | | | | |
| annual cost to society for obesity of all | | | | Bottled drinking water is an ideal substitute |
| forms now exceeds $90 Billion. | | | | for carbonated soft drinks if the quality is |
| | | | high and the taste is appealing. Our bodies |
| There are indirect effects of obesity as | | | | are estimated to be about 60% to 70% water. |
| well. In a recent study, Dr. Ramin Alemzadeh, | | | | Blood is mostly water, and our muscles, lungs |
| MD, explains that "diabetes is not the only | | | | and brain all contain a large amount of |
| issue related to childhood obesity. Obese | | | | water. |
| children may have greater difficulty with | | | | |
| high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, | | | | It is necessary to drink water to regulate |
| orthopedic problems, sleeping habits, as well | | | | body temperature and also to provide the |
| as self-esteem and peer relationships." | | | | means for nutrients to travel to all our |
| | | | organs. Water also transports oxygen to our |
| Dr. Alemzadeh cites studies indicating that | | | | cells, removes waste and protects our joints |
| adults who were obese as children also face | | | | and organs. |
| significant health and social difficulties | | | | |
| later in life. | | | | Water that is pure and free of minerals and |
| | | | bacteria is the ideal source for the |
| - Soft Drinks in the School | | | | hydration of our bodies and a significant |
| | | | contributor to a healthy lifestyle. If you |
| Parents are often told that it is their job | | | | consume coffee or alcohol, you should drink |
| to promote healthy nutrition, even as | | | | at least an equal amount of water. |
| corporations undermine their efforts by | | | | |
| spending billions of dollars marketing junk | | | | When you are traveling on an airplane, it is |
| food to children. This results in a barrage | | | | good to drink 8 ounces of water for every |
| of food industry ads that promote unhealthy | | | | hour you are on board the plane. If you live |
| fares, from the cereal boxes and TV ads at | | | | in an arid climate, you should add another 2 |
| home to the soda and snack vending machines | | | | servings per day. As you can see, your daily |
| at school. | | | | need for water can be significant. |
| | | | |
| Some 10,000 food industry ads per year for | | | | The best source of water is pure drinking |
| unhealthy foods are aimed at children, from 3 | | | | water. Purified drinking water based upon |
| years to teenage years. Ninety-five percent | | | | combined filtration, distillation and |
| of these ads promote fast food, candy, | | | | ozonation techniques is readily available in |
| sugared cereals and soft drinks. | | | | the market today. This process guarantees a |
| | | | high-quality product combined with a light |
| From the school board to the statehouse, | | | | refreshing taste. |
| efforts to ban sugary foods and combat | | | | |
| childhood obesity are being debated around | | | | - Water and Fundraising - The Private Label |
| the nation. This increased level of awareness | | | | Program |
| is beginning to take effect but continued | | | | |
| effort is required. | | | | Bottled drinking water is an ideal |
| | | | replacement for soda in the fundraising |
| Solving the problem requires effort on all | | | | process. Because of the increased demand for |
| levels. Consumer protection groups are | | | | pure drinking water, bottled water is as |
| pressuring the U.S. Congress and | | | | marketable to the consumer as soft drink |
| Administration; efforts are well underway at | | | | sodas and many times more profitable for the |
| the state level to curb aggressive | | | | fundraisers. |
| advertising. | | | | |
| | | | This is because many bottled water suppliers |
| In response, suppliers have increased their | | | | can easily supply water that has a private |
| promotional efforts and many schools, under | | | | label for the school and the occasion. The |
| continued budget pressure, often supplement | | | | private label advertising feature allows the |
| their incomes with proceeds from soda and | | | | fundraiser the ability to charge a premium |
| candy fundraising and booster club sales. In | | | | for the product and increase the profit on |
| spite of the massive promotional budgets of | | | | the transaction. |
| food manufacturers, a focused effort by | | | | |
| consumer groups and parents is already in | | | | Soft drink or soda suppliers do not offer |
| progress. | | | | private labeling for their products because |
| | | | the strategy of these suppliers is to |
| - What Can Parents Do? | | | | increase the recognition of their own brand. |
| | | | |