Water Quality And Carbonated Soft Drinks

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Article Title:

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Water Quality And Carbonated Soft Drinks

Article Description:

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Perhaps the greatest challenge to a healthy lifestyle in the

United States today is the inclusion of carbonated soft drinks in

the individual diet; this is particularly true in the diets of

teenagers and younger children. Sales of carbonated soft drinks

in elementary, middle and high schools are of particular concern

to parents and consumer action groups.

Additional Article Information:

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1828 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2007-04-19 10:48:00

Written By: Jon M. Stout

Copyright: 2007

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Water Quality And Carbonated Soft Drinks

Copyright © 2007 Jon M. Stout

Element H2O

http://www.elementh2o.com

* The Problem

Perhaps the greatest challenge to a healthy lifestyle in the

United States today is the inclusion of carbonated soft drinks in

the individual diet; this is particularly true in the diets of

teenagers and younger children. Sales of carbonated soft drinks

in elementary, middle and high schools are of particular concern

to parents and consumer action groups.

Fueled by aggressive and effective marketing in schools and the

population in general, carbonated soft drinks became a

multi-billion dollar business. In supermarkets, newspapers,

television and radio and in printed media, soft drink companies

spend aggressively to promote their message of supposed good

health and refreshment.

However, evidence is starting to emerge that soft drinks are not

healthy for the individual. Therefore, changes are required to

ensure and establish a healthy life style for the soft drink

consumer.

* Characteristics of Carbonated Soft Drinks

Carbonated soft drinks are widely consumed and present a unique

problem to those drinking the products. Although they are water

based, much of their taste and appeal comes from the addition of

significant amounts of sugar, sugar substitutes and other

chemicals that are harmful to health. A good portion of their

appeal however, comes from the promotion of the products in a way

that is attractive to younger customers.

Beverages containing significant amounts of sugars stimulate the

pancreas, boosting insulin levels and removing the body from its

natural fat burning state. Colas, in particular, contain

caffeine, sugar, sodium and acid that are extremely destructive

to human tissue.

* Effect on Youth

High levels of carbonated soft drinks have been traced to the

increase in Childhood Obesity. Obesity is a major health problem

for both adults and children. A surge of obesity among children

results in the increase rate of diabetes and other types of

systemic health problems.

In the last two decades, the incidence of obesity among adults

and children has risen nearly 50 percent. As defined by federal

standards, approximately 30 percent of adults and 25 percent of

children are considered obese today.

The sale of carbonated soft drink products is a major business by

large corporations and advertising is one of the foremost

components in the marketing mix. The messages communicated in an

effective marketing campaign are powerful, yet subtle for all

listeners particularly children and teenagers who have not yet

developed a frame of reference that allows understanding.

In a recent article by Linn and Diane E. Levin that studied

the impact of advertising on children, the authors concluded

that:

" Children are especially vulnerable to the impact of advertising.

A recent study out of Stanford University found that one

30-second commercial can influence the brand choices of children

as young as 2. Repeated exposures to ads are even more effective.

Very young children don't distinguish between a commercial and

television programming. And children under 8 aren't able to

understand that ads are created to convince people to buy

products. "

Source: " Stop Marketing 'Yummy Food' to Children "

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0620/p09s01-coop.html

In the past decade, techniques for marketing unhealthy food to

children have become increasingly sophisticated, subtle and

effective. Marketing junk food in schools is a growth industry

that includes direct advertising, sponsorship of sports teams and

involvement with fundraisers that add revenue to schools for

activities. The media is increasingly dominated by advertising

dollars from the food industry. Some estimates of total food

promotional budgets exceed $30 Billion and continues to grow.

Childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in

recent years. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of

exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year. More

shocking is that the annual cost to society for obesity of all

forms now exceeds $90 Billion.

There are indirect effects of obesity as well. In a recent study,

Dr. Ramin Alemzadeh, MD, explains that " diabetes is not the only

issue related to childhood obesity. Obese children may have

greater difficulty with high blood pressure, high cholesterol

levels, orthopedic problems, sleeping habits, as well as

self-esteem and peer relationships. "

Dr. Alemzadeh cites studies indicating that adults who were obese

as children also face significant health and social difficulties

later in life.

* Soft Drinks in the School

Parents are often told that it is their job to promote healthy

nutrition, even as corporations undermine their efforts by

spending billions of dollars marketing junk food to children.

This results in a barrage of food industry ads that promote

unhealthy fares, from the cereal boxes and TV ads at home to the

soda and snack vending machines at school. Some 10,000 food

industry ads per year for unhealthy foods are aimed at children,

from 3 years to teenage years. Ninety-five percent of these ads

promote fast food, candy, sugared cereals and soft drinks.

From the school board to the statehouse, efforts to ban sugary

foods and combat childhood obesity are being debated around the

nation. This increased level of awareness is beginning to take

effect but continued effort is required.

Solving the problem requires effort on all levels. Consumer

protection groups are pressuring the U.S. Congress and

Administration; efforts are well underway at the state level to

curb aggressive advertising. In response, suppliers have

increased their promotional efforts and many schools, under

continued budget pressure, often supplement their incomes with

proceeds from soda and candy fundraising and booster club sales.

In spite of the massive promotional budgets of food

manufacturers, a focused effort by consumer groups and parents is

already in progress.

* What Can Parents Do?

It is easy to blame large corporations who manufacture soft

drinks and other fast food products but the solution to the

problem ultimately rests within each individual household family.

For example, school programs are subject to public scrutiny and

input from concerned parents can be particularly effective.

The American Dietetic Association and the 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:

* Get familiar with the menu. Keep a current school lunch menu

and discuss it with your child. Talk about making healthy

choices. Many schools offer choices that meet guidelines for good

nutrition if students make the right choices.

* Ask questions. Find out who decides what is for lunch. Who

determines school policies on vending machines and snacks in the

cafeteria and student store.

* Get involved. Join or start a parent advisory council for the

school food service program. Learn how parents and students can

participate in the decision making process.

* Support the nutrition education efforts at school. If your

school has an edible garden, volunteer to help. If none exists,

create one. Sustainable Table has information about how to start

one.

* Encourage your child to pack his/her own lunch. Help them pick

healthy choices that are fun to eat, such as string cheese,

fruit, carrot sticks and pudding cups. If they pack it, they will

be more likely to eat it.

* Make your child a savvy media consumer. Kids are bombarded

with TV advertisements for sugary cereal and treats. Point out

the techniques advertisers use to make their products

attractive.

* Teach your child about nutritional labels. It will help their

reading skills and make them a smart consumer if you make a game

out of finding out how many names there are for " sugar " in a

label.

* Advocate for the laws you want. Write to your representatives

at the state and federal levels. Express your concerns about

school lunches, the placement of vending machines at your

child's school or requirements for physical education programs.

Source: " It Takes More than An Apple a Day to Keep Your Child

Healthy " http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/az/253

There is currently and there continues to be progress in

children's health education. In a recent report commissioned by

the American Beverage Association, consumption of Carbonated Soft

Drinks (CSD) decreased in high schools from 57.2% of the product

mix in 2002 to 44.9% in 2005. Similarly, the consumption of water

as a percentage of the product mix increased from 9.1% to 12.7%

in the same period. Similar results were reported for middle and

elementary schools.

Continued effort and vigilance is required to keep this project

in constant development.

* School Budgets and Fundraising

An important element to consider in the fight against junk food

obesity is the role of junk food products in fundraising for

schools. As a result of across the board budget pressure at all

government levels, school boards have reduced many activities or

look toward other non tax sources of funding. Fundraising events

for direct activities or through booster clubs became an

important source of funding for sporting and other activities.

An important source of revenue at fundraising events was the

resale of soft drinks to spectators; the profit was considerable.

A program that replaces carbonated soft drinks in the schools for

health reasons also requires products that generate an equivalent

source of revenue.

* The Pure Water Element

Bottled drinking water is an ideal substitute for carbonated soft

drinks if the quality is high and the taste is appealing. Our

bodies are estimated to be about 60% to 70% water. Blood is

mostly water, and our muscles, lungs and brain all contain a

large amount of water. It is necessary to drink water to regulate

body temperature and also to provide the means for nutrients to

travel to all our organs. Water also transports oxygen to our

cells, removes waste and protects our joints and organs.

Water that is pure and free of minerals and bacteria is the ideal

source for the hydration of our bodies and a significant

contributor to a healthy lifestyle. If you consume coffee or

alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When

you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink 8 ounces of

water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in

an arid climate, you should add another 2 servings per day. As

you can see, your daily need for water can be significant.

The best source of water is pure drinking water. Purified

drinking water based upon combined filtration, distillation and

ozonation techniques is readily available in the market today.

This process guarantees a high-quality product combined with a

light refreshing taste.

* Water and Fundraising – The Private Label Program

Bottled drinking water is an ideal replacement for soda in the

fundraising process. Because of the increased demand for pure

drinking water, bottled water is as marketable to the consumer as

soft drink sodas and many times more profitable for the

fundraisers. This is because many bottled water suppliers can

easily supply water that has a private label for the school and

the occasion. The private label advertising feature allows the

fundraiser the ability to charge a premium for the product and

increase the profit on the transaction.

Soft drink or soda suppliers do not offer private labeling for

their products because the strategy of these suppliers is to

increase the recognition of their own brand.

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Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Board of Element H2O.

For more information about bottled water

(http://www.elementh2o.com/Store/), private label

bottled water and (http://www.elementh2o.com/local/)

bottled water delivery go to http://www.elementh2o.com