How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health

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Article Title:

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How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health

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When was the last time you consumed soda? Most likely, it wasn't

that long ago. You may even drink several cans or bottles each

day. In the U.S, carbonated soft drinks are a huge business.

Additional Article Information:

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645 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: Thu Jun 23 11:11:42 EDT 2005

Written By: Dweck

Copyright: 2005, by Weight Loss Buddy Press,

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How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health

Copyright © 2005, by Weight Loss Buddy Press, Dweck

http://www.WeightLossBuddy.com

When was the last time you consumed soda? Most likely, it wasn't

that long ago. You may even drink several cans or bottles each

day. In the U.S, carbonated soft drinks are a huge business.

Every year, they generate more than $50 billion in annual sales.

Two companies – Coca-Cola and PepsiCo -- dominate the soda

market. They are in a constant battle for the market share of the

product – a conflict known as the " Cola War. " Hundreds of

millions of dollars are spent annually for advertising. Not

surprisingly, the companies are always looking for new markets.

And, increasingly, they are directing their attention to

adolescents and children.

For decades, schools have allowed soda to be sold in on-site

vending machines. So, generating income for schools from the sale

of soda is not a new policy. However, in the early 1990s,

pouring-rights contracts emerged. These put a different spin on

the sale of soda in schools. And, over the years, they have

increasingly gained in popularity.

In return for the exclusive sale of one-company's product,

pouring-rights contracts give school districts large lump-sum

payments and extra payments and/or gifts over a period of five or

10 years. The contracts provide additional incentives for

consumption levels that surpass quotas. So, they tend to

encourage the consumption of higher amounts of soda, even by the

youngest students. In one of the most extravagant contracts, a

53-school district in Colorado, gave up its Pepsi vending

machines and signed an $8 million, 10 year agreement with Coca-

Cola that included cash bonuses when sale targets were exceeded

and a new car for a senior with high grades and perfect

attendance. But, even the smaller contracts tend to be generous.

The goal is to create brand loyalty among young people – a

loyalty that could continue throughout their lives. Without a

doubt, administrators in cash-strapped school districts have a

litany of reasons to be enticed. But, adherence to the contracts

may be taken to extremes. For example, a Georgia student was

suspended when he wore a shirt with a Pepsi logo to a student

government-sponsored " Coke Day " rally.

So what is contained in a typical soda that may be found in a

school vending machine? A 20-ounce screw-top plastic bottle of

soda has 275 calories. While there are other ingredients such as

flavorings and caffeine, the soda is primarily sugar and

carbonated water. High in calories and zero in nutritional value,

it is the quintessential " junk food. " The Center for Science in

the Public Interest refers to soft drinks as " liquid candy. "

Since the bottles have screw-tops, the liquid may be sipped

throughout the day, thereby bathing the teeth with sugar and

upsetting dentists. While it is unclear how many sodas a typical

student might drink in one day, one is not a bad guess. Just one

a day means 1925 empty calories per week. Heavy users drink more

than one soda per day. Children who begin drinking soda when they

are still young tend to increase the amount they consume through

adolescence into young adulthood. Many children drink more soda

than juice or milk. While juice and whole milk contain about the

same amount of calories as soda, they contain useful vitamins and

minerals. Juice and milk are far better nutritional options.

Although the relationship cannot be proven conclusively, soda

consumption correlates with obesity. Children who drink sodas

take in more calories, are fatter and have worse diets than those

who don't. If you need to lose weight, start by replacing sodas

with water, fat free or 1% milk, or 100% juice (but not too

much).

References:

n Nestle ette Goddard Professor of Nutrition and Food

Studies, and Public Health, New York University

Author, Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition

and Health (2002)

Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology and Bioterrorism (2003), both

from the University of California Press

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