Water Quality And Carbonated Soft Drinks

Perhaps the greatest challenge to a healthy lifestyle in the
United States today is the inclusion of carbonated soft drinks in
the individual diet; this is particularly true in the diets of
teenagers and younger children. Sales of carbonated soft drinks
in elementary, middle and high schools are of particular concern
to parents and consumer action groups.

Water Quality And Carbonated Soft Drinks
Copyright © 2007 Jon M. Stout

* The Problem

Perhaps the greatest challenge to a healthy lifestyle in the
United States today is the inclusion of carbonated soft drinks in
the individual diet; this is particularly true in the diets of
teenagers and younger children. Sales of carbonated soft drinks
in elementary, middle and high schools are of particular concern
to parents and consumer action groups.

Fueled by aggressive and effective marketing in schools and the
population in general, carbonated soft drinks became a
multi-billion dollar business. In supermarkets, newspapers,
television and radio and in printed media, soft drink companies
spend aggressively to promote their message of supposed good
health and refreshment.

However, evidence is starting to emerge that soft drinks are not
healthy for the individual. Therefore, changes are required to
ensure and establish a healthy life style for the soft drink
consumer.

 * Characteristics of Carbonated Soft Drinks

Carbonated soft drinks are widely consumed and present a unique
problem to those drinking the products. Although they are water
based, much of their taste and appeal comes from the addition of
significant amounts of sugar, sugar substitutes and other
chemicals that are harmful to health. A good portion of their
appeal however, comes from the promotion of the products in a way
that is attractive to younger customers.

Beverages containing significant amounts of sugars stimulate the
pancreas, boosting insulin levels and removing the body from its
natural fat burning state. Colas, in particular, contain
caffeine, sugar, sodium and acid that are extremely destructive
to human tissue.

 * Effect on Youth

High levels of carbonated soft drinks have been traced to the
increase in Childhood Obesity. Obesity is a major health problem
for both adults and children. A surge of obesity among children
results in the increase rate of diabetes and other types of
systemic health problems.

In the last two decades, the incidence of obesity among adults
and children has risen nearly 50 percent. As defined by federal
standards, approximately 30 percent of adults and 25 percent of
children are considered obese today.

The sale of carbonated soft drink products is a major business by
large corporations and advertising is one of the foremost
components in the marketing mix. The messages communicated in an
effective marketing campaign are powerful, yet subtle for all
listeners particularly children and teenagers who have not yet
developed a frame of reference that allows understanding.

In a recent article by Susan Linn and Diane E. Levin that studied
the impact of advertising on children, the authors concluded
that:

"Children are especially vulnerable to the impact of advertising.
A recent study out of Stanford University found that one
30-second commercial can influence the brand choices of children
as young as 2. Repeated exposures to ads are even more effective.
Very young children don't distinguish between a commercial and
television programming. And children under 8 aren't able to
understand that ads are created to convince people to buy
products."

Source: "Stop Marketing 'Yummy Food' to Children"
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0620/p09s01-coop.html

In the past decade, techniques for marketing unhealthy food to
children have become increasingly sophisticated, subtle and
effective. Marketing junk food in schools is a growth industry
that includes direct advertising, sponsorship of sports teams and
involvement with fundraisers that add revenue to schools for
activities. The media is increasingly dominated by advertising
dollars from the food industry. Some estimates of total food
promotional budgets exceed $30 Billion and continues to grow.

Childhood obesity in the United States has grown considerably in
recent years. Unhealthy weight gain due to poor diet and lack of
exercise is responsible for over 300,000 deaths each year. More
shocking is that the annual cost to society for obesity of all
forms now exceeds $90 Billion.

There are indirect effects of obesity as well. In a recent study,
Dr. Ramin Alemzadeh, MD, explains that "diabetes is not the only
issue related to childhood obesity. Obese children may have
greater difficulty with high blood pressure, high cholesterol
levels, orthopedic problems, sleeping habits, as well as
self-esteem and peer relationships."

Dr. Alemzadeh cites studies indicating that adults who were obese
as children also face significant health and social difficulties
later in life.

 * Soft Drinks in the School

Parents are often told that it is their job to promote healthy
nutrition, even as corporations undermine their efforts by
spending billions of dollars marketing junk food to children.
This results in a barrage of food industry ads that promote
unhealthy fares, from the cereal boxes and TV ads at home to the
soda and snack vending machines at school. Some 10,000 food
industry ads per year for unhealthy foods are aimed at children,
from 3 years to teenage years. Ninety-five percent of these ads
promote fast food, candy, sugared cereals and soft drinks.

From the school board to the statehouse, efforts to ban sugary
foods and combat childhood obesity are being debated around the
nation. This increased level of awareness is beginning to take
effect but continued effort is required.

Solving the problem requires effort on all levels. Consumer
protection groups are pressuring the U.S. Congress and
Administration; efforts are well underway at the state level to
curb aggressive advertising. In response, suppliers have
increased their promotional efforts and many schools, under
continued budget pressure, often supplement their incomes with
proceeds from soda and candy fundraising and booster club sales.
In spite of the massive promotional budgets of food
manufacturers, a focused effort by consumer groups and parents is
already in progress.

 * What Can Parents Do?

It is easy to blame large corporations who manufacture soft
drinks and other fast food products but the solution to the
problem ultimately rests within each individual household family.
 For example, school programs are subject to public scrutiny and
input from concerned parents can be particularly effective.

The American Dietetic Association and the Center for Health and
Health Care in Schools offer suggestions on how you can improve
your child's nutrition at school and at home.  Some of these
examples are as follows:

 * Get familiar with the menu. Keep a current school lunch menu
and discuss it with your child. Talk about making healthy
choices. Many schools offer choices that meet guidelines for good
nutrition if students make the right choices.

  * Ask questions. Find out who decides what is for lunch. Who
determines school policies on vending machines and snacks in the
cafeteria and student store.

 * Get involved. Join or start a parent advisory council for the
school food service program. Learn how parents and students can
participate in the decision making process.

 * Support the nutrition education efforts at school. If your
school has an edible garden, volunteer to help. If none exists,
create one. Sustainable Table has information about how to start
one.

 * Encourage your child to pack his/her own lunch. Help them pick
healthy choices that are fun to eat, such as string cheese,
fruit, carrot sticks and pudding cups. If they pack it, they will
be more likely to eat it.

 * Make your child a savvy media consumer. Kids are bombarded
with TV advertisements for sugary cereal and treats. Point out
the techniques advertisers use to make their products
attractive.

 * Advocate for the laws you want. Write to your representatives
at the state and federal levels. Express your concerns about
school lunches, the placement of vending machines at your
child's school or requirements for physical education programs.

Source: "It Takes More than An Apple a Day to Keep Your Child
Healthy" http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/az/253

There is currently and there continues to be progress in
children's health education. In a recent report commissioned by
the American Beverage Association, consumption of Carbonated Soft
Drinks (CSD) decreased in high schools from 57.2% of the product
mix in 2002 to 44.9% in 2005. Similarly, the consumption of water
as a percentage of the product mix increased from 9.1% to 12.7%
in the same period. Similar results were reported for middle and
elementary schools.

Continued effort and vigilance is required to keep this project
in constant development.

 * School Budgets and Fundraising

An important element to consider in the fight against junk food
obesity is the role of junk food products in fundraising for
schools. As a result of across the board budget pressure at all
government levels, school boards have reduced many activities or
look toward other non tax sources of funding. Fundraising events
for direct activities or through booster clubs became an
important source of funding for sporting and other activities.

An important source of revenue at fundraising events was the
resale of soft drinks to spectators; the profit was considerable.
A program that replaces carbonated soft drinks in the schools for
health reasons also requires products that generate an equivalent
source of revenue.

 * The Pure Water Element

Bottled drinking water is an ideal substitute for carbonated soft
drinks if the quality is high and the taste is appealing. Our
bodies are estimated to be about 60% to 70% water. Blood is
mostly water, and our muscles, lungs and brain all contain a
large amount of water. It is necessary to drink water to regulate
body temperature and also to provide the means for nutrients to
travel to all our organs. Water also transports oxygen to our
cells, removes waste and protects our joints and organs.

Water that is pure and free of minerals and bacteria is the ideal
source for the hydration of our bodies and a significant
contributor to a healthy lifestyle. If you consume coffee or
alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When
you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink 8 ounces of
water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in
an arid climate, you should add another 2 servings per day. As
you can see, your daily need for water can be significant.

The best source of water is pure drinking water. Purified
drinking water based upon combined filtration, distillation and
ozonation techniques is readily available in the market today.
This process guarantees a high-quality product combined with a
light refreshing taste.

 * Water and Fundraising – The Private Label Program

Bottled drinking water is an ideal replacement for soda in the
fundraising process. Because of the increased demand for pure
drinking water, bottled water is as marketable to the consumer as
soft drink sodas and many times more profitable for the
fundraisers. This is because many bottled water suppliers can
easily supply water that has a private label for the school and
the occasion. The private label advertising feature allows the
fundraiser the ability to charge a premium for the product and
increase the profit on the transaction.

Soft drink or soda suppliers do not offer private labeling for
their products because the strategy of these suppliers is to
increase the recognition of their own brand.

============================================================
Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Board of Element H2O.
For more information about bottled water
(http://www.elementh2o.com/Store/), private label
bottled water and (http://www.elementh2o.com/local/)
bottled water delivery go to http://www.elementh2o.com ============================================================

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