http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/diet.fit ... index.html

IMO this is excellent news. Childhood obesity and early onset diabetes are a huge medical and financial problem in this country. This is definitely a huge step in tackling the problem.





Companies pulling sodas out of schools
Companies agree only to sell water, juice, milk and diet soda

NEW YORK (AP) -- School vending machines are about to lose their high-calorie fizz.

In a deal announced Wednesday, the nation's largest beverage distributors agreed to stop selling non-diet sodas to most public schools, where childhood obesity has become an increasing concern.

Public high schools would still be sold diet soda under the agreement, but elementary and middle schools would be sold only unsweetened juice, low-fat milk and water, said Jay Carson, a spokesman for former President Clinton, whose William J. Clinton Foundation helped broker the deal.

"I don't think anyone should underestimate the influence this agreement will have," said Susan Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, which has signed onto the deal. "I think other people are going to want to follow this agreement because it just makes sense."

The agreement should reach an estimated 87 percent of the school drink market, Neely said. Industry giants Cadbury Schweppes PLC, Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. -- all ABA members -- have agreed to the changes, she said.

The move shouldn't have much impact on the $63 billion beverage industry's bottom line, said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, which compiles extensive data on the industry.

"The sale of sugar-carbonated sodas in schools is a tiny, tiny part of their overall volume," Sicher said. "The impact is more in terms of responsibility and accountability to the consumer."

The deal follows a wave of regulation by school districts and state legislatures to cut back on student consumption of soda amid reports of rising childhood obesity rates. Soda has been a particular target of those fighting obesity because of its caloric content and popularity among children.

"It's a bold and sweeping step that industry and childhood obesity advocates have decided to take together," Carson said.

A man who answered the phone at Cadbury Schweppes' London headquarters said no one was available to comment. Calls seeking comment from the other distributors were not immediately returned early Wednesday.

Nearly 35 million students nationwide will be affected by the deal, said The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which worked with Clinton's foundation and the American Heart Association on the deal.

"This is really the beginning of a major effort to modify childhood obesity at the level of the school systems," said Robert H. Eckel, president of the American Heart Association.

Under the agreement, high schools will still be sold low-calorie drinks that contain less than 10 calories per serving, as well as drinks that are considered nutritious, such as juice, sports drinks and low-fat milk. Whole milk will no longer be offered to any schools because of its calorie content, Neely said.

School sales of those kinds of drinks have been on the rise in recent years, while regular soda purchases by students have been falling, according to an ABA report released in December. But regular soda, averaging 150 calories per can, is still the most popular drink among students, accounting for 45 percent of beverages sold in schools in 2005, the report said.

The deal will be most easily enforced at vending machines, where students buy most of their drinks, Neely said.

How quickly the changes take hold will depend in part on individual school districts' willingness to alter their existing contracts, the alliance said. The companies agreed to work to implement the changes at 75 percent of the nation's public schools by the 2008-2009 school year, and at all public schools a year later.

Dozens of states have been considering legislation on school nutrition, and many school districts around the country have already begun to replace soda and candy in vending machines with healthier items.

The agreement follows an August decision by the American Beverage Association to adopt a policy limiting soft drinks in high schools to no more than 50 percent of the selections in vending machines. That recommendation was not binding.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

great news... nothing like dealing with 13 and 14 year old kids after they chug 100grams of sugar at lunch each day

My girlfriend is a 7th grade special ed teacher and runs into that all the time. Many of those kids end up being diagnosed with ADHD and put on meds. Scary shit.

thats great news. my daughters school hasnt allowed, fizzy drinks, crisps, chocolate, sweets or even yoguart for years now, they are only allowed a proper sandwich, juice, milk or water and maybe a cereal bar, it cuts out the dentist and dietician

Another victory for personal responsibilty.


The good thing to come out of this is that people will see it's not Big Soda's fault their kids are fat.

Ta-heet.

You pulled this one out of the LW pages.

How anybody can see this as good news is beyond me...

I'm all for personal responsibilty, but a lot of these kids aren't old enough to know the health benefits of not drinking soda, or are too busy dealing with being teenagers to care. It's not going to solve the problem, but it's a huge help. The article also stated that the companies bottom line wouldn't be hitthat hard and the soda companies don't seem to have a problem. Seems like a good plan to me.

Agreed. This isn't going to affect the high schoolers at all, and maybe only half of the middle schoolers.
I only used the school soda machines occasionally. I got my daily sodas at the 7-11 on the corner where I caught my school buses. Sheesh.

That's because kids are gonna walk down to the nearest 7-11 and get soda there!

We always had a pop machine, but it wouldn't be turned on until after school hours.

Hmmm... but aren't most of these kids over the age of consent (16+)? So they are old enough to have sex but not old enough to buy a Pepsi?

I wonder if these same rules apply to the teacher and administration.

I eat a very healthy diet so I know if my son wasn't getting some fat content at school that he probably wouldn't be getting enough in his diet for connective tissue growth.

Why can't schools just stick to teaching? It's not like they're world leaders at that, so I can't see any reason for them to be widening their scope of undertakings. I think it's teachers just playing the blame game. Basically saying that the bad teaching results aren't their fault but rather it can be blamed on the pop the kid had at lunch. And some people take this seriously.

There are much worse things in life to worry about than if you can have a Coke at lunch.

Agreed.
My parents fed us healthy since day one. Soda wasn't ever restricted, but everything else was. I rebeled in my teenage years - most days my lunch was 2 bags of chips or a soft pretzel, and I'd carry a bottle of coke with me all day.
But because I was fed right at home, it never affected my weight. I grew out of it, and now I always eat healthy - save my chocolate addiction, and I've yet to give up my daily soda fix. I was never over weight, nor was I so unhealthy that I was underweight.

From those nazi's over @ Cato:


"The cause of childhood obesity lies elsewhere. Several recent studies have suggested that the single best indicator of a child’s health, diet, weight, and activity level is the health, diet, weight, and activity level of that child’s parents. Children of active parents tend to be active. Kids tend to eat what their moms and dads eat.

That said, there’s also some evidence that the caloric intake among kids hasn’t changed much over the last quarter century. What has changed is the amount of time kids are active, outside, and exercising. Kids today may watch less television, but they more than make up for it with video games, Internet activity, DVDs, or some combination of the three.

Holding Tony the Tiger, the Nabisco elves, or SpongeBob responsible for childhood obesity is certainly the easiest public policy prescription for childhood obesity. It would be much more difficult, and perilous, to charge parents with neglect or child abuse for allowing their kids to get dangerously fat.

But ultimately a child’s diet and exercise habits do begin with his parents. The food industry can’t be faulted for putting products on the shelves that sell, nor can it be faulted for marketing those products to the people who will pester their parents to buy them."

True.

Why force these kids to eat healthy? Isn't that their parents' job? If you don't want your kids eating unhealthy food, don't give them money to buy it with. Send them to school with a sack lunch. Me, I ate healthy most of the time, but if I wasn't in the right mood, I would just stuff down a couple of cookies, a soda, and maybe a candy bar.

This bullshit soooo cracks me up. What the fuck is wrong with parents today, that the word "No" has fallen out of their vocabularies?!!?

This seems like such a no-brainer to me. There are zero positives associated with putting soda machines in schools so why do it?

Great news.