Soft Drinks Companies Push Their Products as a Solution to Childhood Malnutrition

[marmar]

from Food Politics, via AlterNet:




Soft Drinks Companies Push Their Products as a Solution to Childhood Malnutrition


Here is another one you can’t make up. An article in Pediatrics, entitled “Malnutrition and the role of the soft drink industry in improving child health in sub-Saharan Africa,” advocates for fortifying soft drinks with micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

Oddly, it does this after explaining how consumption of soft drinks actually”perpetuates problems of undernutrition in children, pregnant women, and other vulnerable populations in the developing world.” Why? Because in “sub-Saharan Africa, for example, distribution of soft drinks and other beverages produced by soft drink companies is extensive, and consumption is high given the extensive poverty in this part of the world.”

The authors justifiably complain about how little attention has been paid to the ways in which soft drink companies perpetuate malnutrition. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/342579/soft_drinks_companies_push_their_products_as_a_solution_to_childhood_malnutrition/

[Denninmi]

1. Oh, and Nutella is part of a nutritious breakfast.

Worst commercial I've seen in decades in terms of twisting the truth, with the exception of recent political ads by the Repukes, of course.

Nutella, for those who don't know, is a combination of cocoa, hazelnuts, sugar, and various processed ingredients, including palm kernel oil which is particularly high in saturated fat. It's basically the center of a candy bar in spreadable form. There is a commercial promoting it as a breakfast food for kids.

Yeah, and to complete the package, after the breakfast of candybar on toast, might as well send them off to school with a couple of Red Bulls and a pack of Camels.