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Good News for Soda Lovers

Per this article in The Washington Post, a new tax on soda in Great Britain seems to have had quite an impact in the mere two weeks since its introduction.

Soda taxes aren’t a new idea, and at MCNTalk we’ve been writing about them for a few years now (see “Big Soda, Big Problems” and “Americans are Starting to Drink Less Soda,” both from 2015). So what’s new about the British tax and why does it seem to be working? Because it’s not discouraging people from drinking sodas, but rather it’s encouraging soda makers to reduce the sugar content. To accomplish that, the tax rate is based upon the actual sugar content of the soda and so varies from brand to brand.

The tax is already being touted by people such as George Osborne, the former UK Finance Minister, as a model for this type of tax in other countries. However, another explanation for this most recent move by soda companies to reduce the amount of sugar in their drinks is simply to be more popular with customers and remain competitive with the whole range of sparkling water beverages.

Check out the article in The Post to see just how much the sugar levels — and therefore total number of calories and carbohydrates — in a variety of sodas including Coca Cola and San Pellegrino’s popular Limonata have recently been reduced.

Big Soda, Big Problems

by Angela Sams

What is your daily beverage of choice — do you guzzle water throughout the day, or prefer a soda with every meal? If you chose the former, then you are part of a growing trend that has many Americans sipping from their water bottles rather than going to the vending machine for a Coke. According to a recent New York Times article, soda is the new “toxic product to be banned, taxed and stigmatized,” similar to tobacco decades ago. While soda consumption boomed from 1960-1990, the last twenty years have seen a dramatic shift, with U.S. sales of full-calorie soda decreasing by more than 25%. The popular replacement? Bottled water.

The decline is most obvious among the affluent, white population, but will likely spread to the poorer minorities in society, as time goes on. The change is evident among younger generations, as well. Children are consuming fewer calories from sugary beverages, and an overall decrease in kids’ calorie consumption has brought some positive news with it—school-age children’s obesity rates are leveling off. Habits are established at a young age, so the fact that today’s kids aren’t turning to soda as their drink of choice means that they are less likely to suddenly start drinking it consistently as adults.

Why the sudden decrease in consumption? This can be attributed to a shift towards a healthier lifestyle and a desire to eat and drink better. Additionally, the media has helped draw attention to anti-obesity campaigners and proposed soda taxes. Though it may be difficult for officials to pass such a tax, the recent publicity around the debate is still causing people to think twice before popping open carbonated, sugary drinks.

Obviously, this creates a challenge for beverage companies, and they have responded by advertising that their drinks contain “real sugar” and by reducing the size of the cans to 7.5 oz. Even diet soda is taking a hit, as consumers are starting to become wary of artificial ingredients.

While drinking soda every once in a while is not likely to cause any major health problems, it is important to remember that one can may contain at least 17 teaspoons of sugar. This time around, following societal trends has far-reaching health benefits. Let’s raise a glass of water and toast to that!

To read more, check out this recent New York Times article.

 

Americans Are Drinking Less Soda – and Starting to See Results

There’s no precise way to measure calorie consumption across a general population, but according to several major data sources which track trends in the United States, American calorie consumption is declining.

Barry Popkin, a University of North Carolina professor who has studied food data extensively, described the development as a “turning point.” There is no single moment when American attitudes toward eating changed, but researchers point to a 1999 study as a breakthrough. That year, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a paper in The Journal of the American Medical Association that turned into something of a blockbuster.

In the intervening years the anti-obesity public health campaigns have focused on one subject more than any other: beverages. This seems to be working. Soda consumption in the US has fallen from an average of 40 gallons per year per American in 1998 to 30 gallons/person/year in 2014.  Interestingly, that 30 gallon average is the same rate of soda consumption in 1980, when the obesity rates started to climb. Though food trends haven’t radically changed — the drop in soda consumption isn’t accompanied by a rise in vegetable consumption, for instance — this is a clear stop in the right direction. Read more… 

Bloomberg’s Large-soda Ban: Behavioral Economics in Action

Bloomberg’s Large-Soda Ban would prohibit restaurants, delis, sports arenas, movie theaters, and food carts from selling any soft drinks larger than sixteen ounces.

This interesting piece from the financial column of The New Yorker magazine describes an example of behavioral economics in action. The article, “The Economics of Michael Bloomberg’s Large-Soda Ban,”makes the argument that the proposed ban in New York on cups of soda larger than 16 ounces may work by setting and altering expectations of the drinkers. It describes how choices can be framed by the supplier, and in so doing, alter behaviors and consumption.

The article states, “Bloomberg’s proposal makes clever use of what economists call ‘default bias.’ If you offer a choice in which one option is seen as a default, most people go for that default… The soda ban makes sixteen ounces or less the default option for soda drinkers; if they want more, they’ll have to make an extra effort.”

Consider how we are all susceptible to being economically manipulated to buy, by the claim that an item is on sale, and the many other ways that how we view a choice is impacted by the context.  Read More…

Four Easy Steps to Limit Sugar

Many Americans today analyze food labels, scouring for the dreaded ingredient: sugar. But the sugar industry has caught on quickly and created euphemistic names for sugar including dextrose, sucrose, agave, and clintose, making it harder for grocery shoppers to recognize the actual amount of sugar a product may contain. (Full list of 90 sugar synonyms here).

These alter egos are also called “added sugars” and it is this sugar that a recent article in The New York Times suggests to cut out of diets. The article gives four steps to limit sugar in your diet:

1. Fix your breakfast: Breakfast has easily become the most sugar-packed meal of the day. Pop Tarts, Captain Crunch, syrup, and fruit juices are just a few of the most popular offenders. Even some granola products are coated with sugar granules. Options like eggs, oatmeal, plain yogurt, fruits, nuts, Cheerios, and pita bread are filling and tasty substitutes.

2. Redo your pantry: spend a little time reading the ingredients of your family staples. Many sauces, crackers and breads have unnecessary sugars, but very similar substitutes.

3. Eliminate Soda: “Just get rid of it.” This article’s solution is to switch to flavored seltzer, diet sodas, or carbonated water.

4. Whip Portion Inflation: Specifically in the restaurant business, portion sizes just keep getting bigger and bigger. This author advises to view every dessert as a serving for two.

Deciding to decrease sugar intake is the first choice to a healthier body and quality of life. These four steps are just one way to kick-start that effort.

Healthy Eating: Just a Fad?

by Angela Sams

Have you fallen for the latest trend of kale smoothies or chia seeds? It’s difficult to avoid, especially with all of the recent media hype about various Superfoods. If you’ve found yourself shopping more frequently in the produce section than the frozen dinner aisle, you may not be the only one changing your eating habits – it has become a nationwide phenomenon. According to this New York Times article, more and more consumers are moving away from big food manufacturers, even as those companies are attempting to change their ingredients in order to become more appealing. General Mills is nixing artificial colors and flavors from its cereals, and Hershey’s is focusing on “simple and easy-to-understand ingredients.” But will these changes be enough?

The numbers are a bit discouraging, at least from these companies’ point of view. Both soda and orange juice sales are down, as are cereals and frozen dinners. Instead, consumers are buying more fresh prepared food than ever – sales have grown almost 30 percent since 2009.

The trend also extends to the younger population. The article indicates that “sales of raw fruits and vegetables are also growing – among children and young adults, per capita consumption of vegetables if up 10 percent over the past five years.” A recent survey indicated that almost half of the millennial generation doesn’t trust big food corporations, and it is clear that drastic action will need to be taken if these companies want to win consumers back.

The solution will no doubt be challenging. It will need to involve more than just removing an artificial dye here or an antibiotic there. Companies will likely need to completely change how they approach food production. This may include large amounts spent on investment, and a “complete overhaul of their supply chains [as well as a] major organizational restructuring.” A challenge, yes, but not necessarily impossible.

Fresh, healthy food is in, and processed food made of ingredients most of us can’t even pronounce is out. Evidence suggests that this is more than a fad – it’s a lifestyle that is here to stay.

Sugar – Our #1 Food Villain

by Jen Jenkins, Market Analyst

Over the past several months we have often blogged on the topic of sugar and soda consumption and the possible detrimental effects both may have on human health. Sugar is quickly claiming the spotlight as the most villainous of foods that we consume, due to soaring rates of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease — all sugar-related disorders. Up until now, however, there has not been a study that truly proves sugar is a lone culprit in the rise of these chronic diseases. Dr. Robert Lustig is the reason we may now have, in his words, “hard and fast data that sugar is toxic irrespective of its calories and irrespective of weight.”

A new study developed by Dr. Lustig, out of the University of California, San Francisco, tested the effects of removing sugar from the diet of 43 children while keeping their weight and the amount of calories consumed exactly the same. Previous studies argued that it couldn’t be proven that removing sugar alone creates positive outcomes, since removing sugar also lowers calorie consumption and induces weight loss. To overcome this argument, Dr. Lustig made sure the children weighed themselves daily. If the children were losing weight, he had them eat more of the foods provided, to keep their weight the same. According to Dr. Lustig, after only 9 days “everything got better.”

Overall, their fasting blood sugar levels dropped by 53%, along with the amount of insulin their bodies produced since insulin is normally needed to break down carbohydrates and sugars. Their triglyceride and LDL levels also declined and, most importantly, they showed less fat in their liver. – Time

The main goal of this study was to look at sugar and how its negative effect on the body isn’t correlated with other diet concerns, calorie consumption, or weight loss. In fact, Dr. Lustig admitted that the diet the children were fed was far from ideal and still loaded with processed foods. Despite that, there were very noticeable improvements in the children’s health. Dr. Lustig is hoping these findings, along with new ones that continue to emerge, will encourage the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consider this new information on sugar when finalizing the updated Dietary Guidelines for 2016.

For more information on why not everyone is convinced by this new study and for other concerns expressed by experts, see this Time article.

Great News for the US: Evidence of Trending Down in Childhood Obesity

While still early, recent studies show evidence that childhood obesity is reversing in some cities.

This is tremendous news for all. The small percentage suggests a reversal of a longstanding trend.

If true, it demonstrates that awareness, education, and intervention helps. The culprits include ignorance, indifference, and the pushing on society of empty calories, especially those in sugary beverages.

Nationally, about 17 percent of children under 20 are obese, or about 12.5 million people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which defines childhood obesity as a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex. That rate, which has tripled since 1980, has leveled off in recent years but has remained at historical highs, and public health experts warn that it could bring long-term health risks. Read More…

Eliminating destructive food options in schools, providing healthier snacks in stores, and reducing intake overall can make a difference.

Just because something is tough does not make it undoable. These statistics mean that some kids are doing a lot better and likely feel great about it, not only physically, but emotionally.

Let’s hope this is not a fluke as we have a long ways to go as a society.

Apple juice can pose a health risk — from calories

This article on the dangers of apple juice should pose no surprise to anyone who understands the nature of weight gain. But it flies in the face of “common wisdom” that holds that if it is natural, it is good. Many schools have substituted fruit juices for carbonated sodas in vending machines. If the calories are the same or higher, the only change is that those who now put in their money are believing that they are engaging in healthful behavior by drinking juice. At least before they may have known that they were buying a high caloric sugary indulgence.

Once again, this article underscores the laws of thermodynamics as they pertain to weight: If you take in more calories from food, regardless of the kind of food, regardless of it being natural, organic, or highly processed, the person ingesting it gains weight. If one consumes fewer calories than one expends, again regardless of the source of such calories, one loses weight. Making a virtue out of the nature of food consumed does far less to address obesity related health issues than addressing quantity. Read more…