Pepsico To Remove High Sugar Drinks From Schools, Worldwide

Under enormous pressure from the AmericanUSA even though it is the American
public and political lobbyists to set a 3 cent tax onGovernment's agriculture policy which has created
their high sugar drinks, PepsiCo (PEP) have todaythis catch 22 situation. In banning cheap imports of
announced that they are to work with bottlers,sugar into the country coupled with their financial
suppliers, community leaders and educationsupport, through grants, to American corn
authorities throughout the world to remove theirgrowers the factory made High- Fructose Corn
high sugar drinks (sometimes referred to asSyrup (H-FCS) is a cheaper option for drinks
full-calorie carbonated beverages) from schools byproducers than sugar.
2012.It is, of course, nonsense to say that the removal
To some extent this may be seen as a trade offof one of the many causes of childhood obesity is
to mollify their critics who place a large amount ofgoing to change the world overnight, but one
the blame at their door for the rapid rise inwould hope that it will contribute to a child's
obesity, particularly in children.awareness of what is good to eat and drink and
It is, however, a major u-turn for PEP. They havethe ramifications of consuming more calories than
long maintained innocence of any such role;they need to stay healthy.
whatever the reasons for obesity, they are notThis policy should also encourage parents to get
being added to by the consumption of PEPon the bandwagon to start a new, healthier,
products. The policy of removal from schools isfamily lifestyle. PEP is making a statement here
already extant in the USA.that parents can read as "high sugar drinks are
In the USA, fructose, an artificial sweetener isbad for your kids".
used as an agent in place of sugar. Fructose hasTake heed!
recently become synonymous with obesity in the