Health experts are calling for 50 percent less sugar in soft drinks
Health experts want to halve the sugar content in soft drinks. That this is possible shows in the UK. The reduction of the Sweetener, would be an important contribution in the fight against Obesity and related diseases.
Unhealthy Drinks
“Sugar sweetened drinks should only be drunk in small quantities, because they contain many calories and can contribute to the development of Obesity,” writes the German society for nutrition (DGE) on your website. In addition, the frequent consumption of sodas and Cola can lead to health problems such as tooth decay, high blood pressure and Diabetes. Therefore, it is to be welcomed in principle, if the policy is to ensure that less sugar is consumed via soft drinks. However, what the Federal Ministry of nutrition planning for health experts.
Incidence of Obesity reduce
“We want to reduce the incidence of Overweight and obesity and of associated diseases in Germany,” said German food Minister Julia Klöckner recently in a message.
“A building block to achieve this goal, our reduction and innovation strategy,” said the politician.
This focuses on “a reduction in the supply of energy through a reduction of sugar and fats, as well as on reducing high salt levels in finished products.”
But what plans the Ministry, is not enough according to health experts, for a long time.
Halving the sugar content, you can implement
According to a from the information service science (idw) published a communication, said Barbara Bitzer, a spokesman for the German Alliance of non-communicable diseases (THANKS) to the recent draft of the Federal Ministry of food for a National reduction and innovation strategy for sugar, fat and salt in ready-made products:
“The reduction strategy is weakening of all essential topics in soft drinks and children’s marketing. In soft drinks it is not enough for the Federal food Minister Julia Klöckner calls for a ‘strong double-digit sugar reduction’ – including the industry, can understand even a relatively small reduction of 15 or 20 percent.”
According to Bitzer, a sugar reduction of 50 percent “for conventional sweet Cola and lemonade” is necessary. “This can be technically implemented quickly, as demonstrated by the example of great Britain”, says the expert.
Also, the German Diabetes society (DDG), which is a member of THANKS, calls for 50 percent sugar reduction in soft drinks.
“In view of the fact that soft drinks have additional calories makers a major influence in the development of Obesity, we urge Ms. Klöckner to reach specific agreements with the industry, this target brand,” DDG-President Professor Dr. med. Dirk Müller-Wieland, in a published by idw communication.
Special children’s food is unnecessary
As inadequate THANKS also criticized the goal of products with child-optic “should be no less favourable nutrient composition than those that do not apply specifically to children”:
“There is no progress, when children’s products are just as unhealthy as normal products,” said Bitzer: “Here, of all places, a particularly vulnerable group is protected to limit, presumably, to paragraph interests of the industry.”
Müller-Wieland of the DDG says: “Special children’s food are actually completely unnecessary. If anything, you should have a particularly favorable nutrient composition.“
The German Alliance of non-communicable diseases calls for a ban on children and young people, targeted Marketing, if the product can not be in accordance with the standards of the world health organization (WHO) classified as healthy.
The experts welcome the announcement by the Minister, to review the implementation of reduction closely and to check for “lack of willingness to co-regulatory measures”.
“We very much hope that the industry now uses this last Chance,” said Bitzer: “The THANKS to the merged medical professional societies will follow the process exactly and wife Klöckner word for it.” (ad)