Organizations Kick Off “Global Dump Soda” Campaign

Note from Connie: Now this is absolutely fascinating news. Wow! Check out this revolutionary proposal to squash the marketing of soda and other sugary drinks. Jennifer Moore gives you the details.

Alarmed by the worldwide increase in childhood obesity, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the International Association of Consumer Food Organizations recently kicked off an initiative to seriously curtail the marketing of sodas and other sugary drinks to kids, according to a press release on CSPI’s website.

Among other smart solutions, CSPI and IACFO want Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to stop all marketing of sugar-packed drinks to kids under 16. This means no print or broadcast ads, no internet marketing, no using kids’ cell phones to push the stuff, nothing.

The groups also called for soda companies to stop selling all sugary drinks, including sports drinks, fruit-flavored beverages, sweetened teas and sodas to all schools, whether public or private.

One of the ideas will certainly be controversial: The organizations also propose a modest tax on soft drinks, with the resulting revenue to be used for nutrition education and exercise programs and to subsidize the costs of healthy fare like fresh fruits and vegetables.

If the point of the tax is to make people think soda costs too much to buy, I’m not convinced it’ll work. But after reading the startling stats on how the increase in consumption of sugary drinks mirrors the rise of obesity and diabetes, I can understand the impulse to give such a plan a try.

The Dumpsoda.org website is chock-full of information about the rising rates of obesity worldwide, the dangers of soda, what you can do to fight back against sugary drinks in your community, and more. Kudos to CSPI and IACFO for undertaking this initiative, and let’s hope it works!

Jennifer Moore for SUGAR SHOCK! Blog