I can't remember the last time I drank a Coke. Or a Pepsi, or a Tango, or a Fanta, or anything else similar for that matter. I used to drink a lot more of the stuff, but now I'll choose almost any other beverage in preference. I used to lug 2 litre bottles of sugary fizz home from the supermarket on a fortnightly basis, but I stopped doing that a few years ago. I gave up on bottles of squash at about the same time (there's still a quarter of a bottle of Robinsons left in my kitchen with a 2004 sell-by date). And I used to need a spoonful of sugar in my tea but I don't any more, so I've not bought a single bag of sugar since last century as a result. I can't claim that my life is sucrose-free, but most of my drinks are these days. And it seems I'm not alone.
UK drinks giant Britvic posted a profits warning last week saying that "the decline we have seen this year in January and February has been more severe than anything we have seen in the past." Britons are increasingly ditching colas and carbonates for what they perceive to be healthier options (such as Pepsi Max, fruit juices and bottled water). No longer do we stare at a can of Coke and think "mmm, it's the real thing and it looks delicious" because an inner 'green' voice is telling us "there's 35g of sugar in there, I'd be far better off chewing a carrot". It seems we don't want to be a bunch of obese fatties with decaying teeth any more. Fizz is on its way out.
A similar revolution is underway in the nation's schools. A governmentreportpublished last week proposes that schools should be barred from selling confectionery, bagged savoury snacks and carbonated drinks. I find it staggering that big Coca Cola vending machines were ever allowed in secondary schools in the first place, but I guess that raising revenue to pay teachers' salaries was more important than stopping kids becoming roly-poly lardbuckets. No longer - it's chilled water and unsalted nuts at breaktime if these proposals are given the go-ahead. The only junk being eaten in schools will be the stuff which ill-informed parents stuff into lunchboxes or which children buy outside in the corner shop.
Not surprisingly drinkscompanies and vending associations are up in arms. The rush towards healthy eating risks haemorrhaging their profits even further, and so some major PR campaigns are underway to try to promote fizzy drinks as part of a healthy balanced diet. I'd be proud of this stuff if I were being paid squillions as an advertising copywriter, but it's clearly drivel dressed up as fact.
Here are ten quotes lifted from press releases and other marketing blurb. Nine are genuine, and one I've made up. Can you spot the fizzy fake?
a) "Soft drinks are a good source of fluids as up to 95% of their volume is water, and keeping hydrated helps young people to maintain concentration. Offering a wide variety of soft drink types and flavours encourages fluid intake among young people." (Coca Cola)
b) "Research has shown that children are more likely to drink sufficient to replace lost fluids and maintain hydration during activity when presented with flavoured beverages." (British Soft Drinks Association)
c) "Many schools recognise and welcome the role vending can play in encouraging students to remain on site during breaks and lunch and are conscious that with schools open for longer hours and to more groups within the community, the provision of refreshment outside normal catering hours, which vending can provide, will be essential." (Automatic Vending Association)
d) "Many soft drinks provide significant nutritional and functional benefits. Some can provide one of the recommended 'five a day' servings of fruit and vegetables." (Coca Cola)
e) "Sugar is a natural and safe ingredient from which children can benefit. It is an excellent source of energy and is therefore particularly useful for active children with high energy needs." (British Soft Drinks Association)
f) "Our strategy encompasses both product responsibility as well as the promotion of active lifestyles – we’re committed to acting on both sides of the energy balance – calories in, and calories out." (Coca Cola)
g) "Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners to assist weight loss can be counter-productive as it may, in fact, lead to increased fat intake. Allowing sugar in a low-fat diet can make it more palatable and easier to follow." (World Sugar Research Organisation)
h) "Children need to be fully informed to make educated choices about their dietary intake. Presenting them with the complete range of carbonated and still drinks helps to ensure healthy lifestyle choices which will be maintained into adulthood." (this is the fake)
i) "All soft drinks are healthy because they provide the vital fluids our bodies need with some also providing contributions to the various vitamins and minerals we need every day." (British Soft Drinks Association)
j) "The removal of such a highly efficient country-wide beverage distribution system could have an impact not only on pupils' hydration, but also on pupil behaviour as they would be more likely to buy products outside school before, during and after the school day" (Coca Cola)
