Ohio pediatricians oppose soda contracts in schools

[Gary Ruskin]

Commercial Alert						May 16, 2001

Following is a statement by the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of
Pediatrics on "Soft Drink Contracts in Schools."

http://www.ohioaap.org/softdrinks.htm

Ohio AAP Statement on Soft Drink Contracts in Schools

The Pediatricians of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of
Pediatrics issue this statement as a caution to parents, superintendents
and members of district school boards about the health consequences of
exclusive soda contracts in Ohio's schools. Two major health problems
have been tied to increased soda intake and consequent decreased dairy
intake in children: obesity (from the calories) and osteoporosis and
bone fractures (from inadequate calcium intake). Two less recognized
health issues appear to be linked as well: enamel erosion and dental
caries (due to soda's acidity), and classroom behavior issues (due to
the caffeine content). Contracts with school districts for exclusive
soda rights encourage consumption, either directly or indirectly. Ohio's
pediatricians urge school officials and parents to become informed
before making a decision about this important nutritional issue.

Children's nutrition is a health crisis. One of every four children is
now overweight, double the number from two decades ago and rising every
year. Complications due to the obesity epidemic – high cholesterol, high
blood pressure, insulin-resistant diabetes, and coronary plaque
formation – once were rare, but now are becoming common in the
pediatrician's office. Current childhood diet and exercise patterns will
make the next generation the most overweight and least fit in this
country's history. For children of every socioeconomic level, daily food
selections are high in calories and poor in quality. Only 1 in 100
children eat a balanced diet as described by the USDA's Food Guide
Pyramid; 16% of children do not fulfill the serving suggestions for any
food group.  All children take in fats and sugars – including soft
drinks – far in excess of recommendations, accounting for nearly 40% of
their calories. 

The American culture is a potent force in a child's life. The
substitution of soda and juice drinks for milk illustrates the point. It
is no coincidence that over the past 20 years milk intake has decreased
40% as soda intake has increased 300%. Soda bottles were 6.5 oz in the
1950s, 12 oz in the 1960s, and by the late 1990s, 20 oz. Soda is, as the
Center for Science in the Public Interest has called it, "liquid candy".
Yet its acceptance in the American diet is unquestioned. The
proliferation of vending machines is staggering, numbering 2.8 million
in the U.S., vending 27 billion cans of soda per year. 

Soda has become a staple food for American children. Males 12-19 years
of age drink an average of 868 cans per year or more than 2 cans per
day. For teenage boys this represents 9% of their total daily calories;
for girls, 8%. Clearly, soda merits a separate place in the teen's food
pyramid of actual daily intake.

Although they may seem to be an excellent alternative for soda, many
juices are little better.  Most are "fruit drinks", meaning that the
most common ingredient is not fruit juice but rather high fructose corn
syrup. Often the added fruit juice accounts for no more than 20% of
content. 

Teens are a $141 billion per year market. So, it is not surprising that
the trend of commercialization of everyday American life now has
extended into the schools, even to grade-school. One Colorado school
district actively sought out corporate sponsorships, proudly declaring
that it had over 50 such contracts. For both partners, the lure is
money. This movement initially was fueled by Channel One, a free
"educational" TV service available in 12,000 schools willing to accept
commercials interspersed in educational programming. The public now
accepts the fact that school sports teams receive support from corporate
sponsors, which offer lucrative contracts. Even school textbooks and
book covers carry advertising and logos. 

Soda companies have followed the same path. Contracts are common in many
school districts in Ohio and across the country. Even affluent school
districts in this state have formed alliances with soda companies.
Often, incentives are tied to sales. In some cases free soda is given
out at lunchtime in high-schools and middle-schools, a practice strongly
opposed by the National Education Association and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, which oversees the National School Lunch Program. 

Even if the ethics of commercializing our schools is put aside, we
should still oppose these lucrative contracts. Four serious health
issues have been tied to increased soda intake (and consequent decreased
dairy intake) in children: obesity (from the calories), osteoporosis and
bone fractures (from inadequate calcium intake), enamel erosion and
dental caries (due to soda's acidity), and classroom behavioral issues
(due to the caffeine). 

Soft drink contracts are not "free" money. Every year, American
healthcare costs us $1 trillion dollars. Of this staggering amount, $100
billion can be directly tied to obesity. So, soda contracts represent an
important health choice. The presence of a vending machine in the hall
outside the classroom is a far more powerful statement than whatever is
said within the classroom. Yet health concerns are rarely voiced when
commercial contracts are signed by a school board. Usually parents are
unaware that such an agreement even exists. The proliferation of
entrepreneurial contracts has lead one columnist to call for schools
being declared "commercial-free zones". Certainly, before accepting any
contract, parents, superintendents, school boards, and public officials
should weigh the effects of their action on their children. In the case
of "cola contracts" we as pediatricians do not feel that the benefits
outweigh the consequences.

Committee on School Health
Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics

<------statement ends here------->

FOR MORE INFORMATION 
about commercialism and soft drink contracts in the schools, see
Commercial Alert's education campaign web page at
<http://www.commercialalert.org/education/index.html>.  

Commercial Alert's education campaign works to rid the nation's schools
of corporate marketers, junk food peddlers and market researchers, and
to banish their influence upon textbooks and curricula as well. 

Ralph Nader founded Commercial Alert in 1998 to keep the commercial
culture within its proper sphere, and to prevent it from exploiting
children and subverting the higher values of family, community,
environmental integrity and democracy. 

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-- 
Gary Ruskin | gary@essential.org
Commercial Alert | Congressional Accountability Project
http://www.commercialalert.org | http://www.congressproject.org
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