by Barbara Ferguson Kennedy
Worldwide, consumers are becoming concerned about what they are eating, and are emerging as a new force in the global struggle to create an environmentally better world. This, according to a new study, “Vital Signs 2002,” was published by the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington D.C.-based environmental policy research organization. Worldwatch says the world’s consumers are “voting with their wallets” for products and services that promote sustainable development and health.
“Vital Signs” is a fascinating and worrying synopsis of the world resources at large, and also documents destructive behavior by the consumer. In a chapter entitled: “Sugar and Sweetener Use Grows,” the report notes that “global per capita consumption rose from 194 calories per day in 1961 to 245 calories in 2001.”
It should not be a surprise that the largest consumers of sugar and sweeteners are the United States… and India. Together they consume 30 percent—46 million tons—of the world’s consumption. China also consumed a high amount, 9 million tons.
Consumption per capita, however, goes to America, which uses almost three times as many sweeteners as India and 10 times more than China. Americans consumed an average of 686 calories of sweeteners a day in 1999 — more than a quarter of the recommended 2,250-calorie diet, which is not good.
Sweeteners are empty calories, and contain no vitamins or minerals. The World Health Organization considers them an unnecessary part of the diet. Yet sweetener consumption is growing, especially in the developing world, where it has jumped 61 percent since 1961. The growth, Worldwatch says, is being pushed by the falling costs of processed foods, growing income, heavy marketing of high-sugar foods, and urbanization — all of which are associated with eating more sweets.
As if that isn’t bad enough, diets high in added sugars can contribute to high rates of tooth decay. In addition, as refined foods are introduced into new areas of the world, the cavity-causing effects of sugars are made worse by not eating fibrous foods that help to reduce decay.
Although all sugars can cause tooth decay, soda is a primary concern because it is often consumed between meals or sipped over a long period, which prolongs the time that sugars remain in the mouth.
Sugars and sweeteners also tend to squeeze more nutritious foods out of the diet. While Americans eat al-most three times as many sweeteners as the recommended maximum, they are also eating less than one-third of the fruits they should munch daily.
Finally — no surprise here — increased sweetener consumption can contribute to increases in obesity, which has been linked to diabetes, certain cancers and heart disease.
“Soda Consumption Grows” is another chapter in “Vital Signs 2002;” it continues to mark the downward spiral of sugar and disease.
The United States, with less than 5 percent of the world’s population, is the largest soda consumer and ac-counted for one third of total soda consumption in 1999. The sales generated $48 billion dollars in revenue for the soda industry. Soda is already the number one drink for Americans, who drank an average of 211 liters of it in 1999, compared with 109 liters of tap water.
Unlike juice, which contains vitamins and important minerals, Worldwatch notes that soda consists of carbonate water, sweeteners, flavoring, and in many cases, caffeine.
Consumption of these calorie-laden but nutritionally devoid drinks often displaces healthier foods, which can lead to dietary deficiencies.
In the United States, soda consumption doubled between 1970 and 1999.
As most bone mass in women is built by age 18, an increase in osteoporosis is a real threat to those who drink colas rather than juice or water. Another preliminary study found that drinking soda is significantly associated with increased prevalence of bone fractures in active adolescent women.
The news gets worse: As soda is a large source of added sugars and calories, it also, obviously, contributes to obesity. A recent study outlined a direct correlation between the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity. The results suggested that children increase their odds of becoming obese by 60 percent with each additional sugar-sweetened drink they consume.
In America, overweight and obesity among children has tripled, and has increased to 61 percent among adults.
Next comes the caffeine-in-cola problem. More than 80 percent of the sodas sold in 1999 contained caffeine. Worldwatch says, “This mood- altering drug is physiologically and psychologically addictive and can produce physical dependence with a daily intake of just 100 milligrams.”
Coca-Cola, the world’s most popular brand, contains 34 milligrams of caffeine per can. Children are smaller than adults and thus caffeine in colas affects children more strongly.
Next comes the question of whether these companies intentionally add caffeine to hook their consumers.
Worldwatch notes that while caffeine is supposedly added to enhance soda’s flavor, a recent study found that only a small percentage of consumers were able to tell the difference between caffeinated and caffeine-free colas.
It is important to understand that the soda industry is also aggressively marketing its products. In 2000, the two largest soft drink corporations, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, spent $4.6 billion worldwide on advertising.
A significant portion of this advertising directly targets children, and links soda with children’s heroes. For example, Coca-Cola signed an exclusive $150-million global contract with Warner Brothers, the producers of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, to be the sole marketing partner for the movie.
Want more? The soda industry also markets to children in schools, often signing exclusive marketing contacts with school boards, which in many cases tie monetary bonuses to a minimum amount of soda sold.
With obesity becoming a global epidemic, health organizations and governments are trying to encourage healthier diets and lifestyles.
Several countries have restricted the marketing of fast food products to children. Worldwatch cites Poland, where there is a ban on all television and radio marketing to youngsters. The result is a drop in fast food sales, including soda. Sweden also bans advertising to children on TV. But because of the strong presence of satellite TV where the ban does not apply, this has had less effect on cola consumption.
In the United States, California leads in Yankee enlightenment, and has placed a 7.5 percent sales tax on soft drinks. This has resulted in a yearly state revenue of an extra $218 million.
Junk food taxes help reduce consumption of these un-healthy, often packaging-intensive foods and beverages, says Worldwatch, but adds that these taxes— which currently go to general funds— should be used to counteract the huge advertising budgets of the soda and other junk food industries, which could help counter their pervasive messages and educate consumers about the importance of a healthy diet.
More information on “Vital Signs 2002” can be found on www.worldwatch.org.
©Copyright 2002. All Rights Reserved. Health Science is the publication of the National Health Association. This article reprinted from the Summer 2002 issue.