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:
Marion Nestle Paulette 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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