Some schools are finally making moves to get soft drinks out of schools -- but often the replacement drinks they choose are just as bad or worse.

Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics called on its members to push schools to remove soft drinks from school vending machines as a big step toward improving childhood nutrition and curbing the obesity epidemic.

And many schools have begun cutting back on soft-drink sales, while countless others are now debating the move. But one troubling trend has emerged as schools struggle with the soft-drink issue.

Fearful of losing millions in annual revenue from vending contracts with soft-drink companies, schools aren't just eliminating soda from vending machines. They're replacing it with sports drinks and flavored beverages that may sound healthier, but often have at least as much sugar and calories as their fizzy counterparts.

Just last week, for instance, beverage companies in Canada announced plans to remove soft drinks from middle- and elementary-school vending machines, replacing them with sports drinks and juices. In New York, carbonated drinks have been replaced by 100% juice versions of Snapple, which actually have more calories and grams of sugar than regular soda.

Most experts agree that while sports and juice-flavored drinks may sound healthier, they are simply noncarbonated versions of sodas -- often with water and high-fructose corn syrup as the first two ingredients. Even 100% juice drinks often are made with concentrates of pear, apple and grape and in the end are really just water and sugar.

"Consuming all these calorically sweetened drinks -- soft drinks, juice drinks, sports drinks -- they all contribute to weight and obesity in the U.S.," says Barry Popkin, nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "It's all just sugar water."

Much of the problem stems from the idea -- instilled months after birth -- that the liquid we consume should be flavored and sweet.

SWEET AND SWEETER   How some alternative drinks sold in school vending machines compare with regular soft drinks, for a 12-ounce serving   Beverage Calories/sugar (grams) Pepsi 150/40.5 Minute Maid 100% Apple Juice 165/39 Swerve chocolate milk drink* 164/29 Snapple Raspberry 150/37.5 Snapple 100% Juice drinks* 167/42 Gatorade 75/21 V-8 vegetable juice 70/11 Non-fat milk 150/18 Dasani water 0/0 * Available only in school vending

"One of the first questions a new parent will ask a pediatrician is 'when can I start juice?'" says Robert Murray, professor of pediatrics at the Columbus Children's Hospital and principal author of the American Academy of Pediatrics statement. "We've really created the habit of dealing with thirst with sweetened drinks."

And calories from sweetened beverages are more insidious than other calories -- numerous studies show that most beverage calories simply don't make you feel full so you end up consuming far more calories than you would otherwise.

According to the CDC, vending machines and snack bars are in 98% of high schools, 74% of junior and middle schools and even 43% of elementary schools. And the average teen drinks about two sodas a day -- that's 300 extra calories. At that rate, a child could gain as much as 2.5 pounds a month.

To be sure, many of the colas and sugared drinks consumed by teens are purchased by parents who allow kids to drink them at home. But that's why a school ban on soft drinks and sugared beverages is so important. Educators have a powerful influence over kids, and kids are exposed to the school environment 180 days a year. "We've got to recognize that two-thirds of the American public is overweight at this point" and many parents aren't setting the best example at home, says Dr. Murray.

Drink makers say criticism of soft drinks is unfair, because good nutrition is about balance and no food should be excluded entirely. A spokeswoman for New York City Department of Education says 100% juice Snapple, for instance, has natural sugars and more nutrients than regular soda. But health officials say schools play a crucial role in influencing a child's nutrition decisions. Instead of urging water and low-fat milk, schools are exposing kids to an unrelenting barrage of marketing from Pepsi, Coke and Snapple. Dr. Murray notes that one Ohio school has so many soft-drink machines that the school band director conducts in front of a Pepsi machine.

But schools can stock vending machines with healthier fare without losing income. When Iowa City schools added milk to vending machines, overall sales increased 42%, while soda sales dropped 58%. Vista Unified School District in San Diego limited sodas to 20% of vending slots instead of the previous 66%. The machines now offer bagels, yogurt, nuts, cheese and crackers and fresh fruit as well as water, milk and 100% juice. During the first year, Vista High School generated $200,000 more in sales than the previous year.

What can parents do? Parents should visit schools and survey vending machines themselves. Find out what schools are selling and what rules govern vending-machine purchases. The nonprofit group Action for Healthy Kids (www.actionforhealthykids.org¹) has launched teams for each state to work with parents, educators and health groups to improve nutrition in schools.

Parents whose children are active in student government should urge their kids to become involved in the issue. When the Sequoia Middle School in Fresno, Calif., eliminated junk food and sodas, students helped select the replacement foods, and drinks and sales increased.

Most important, talk to your kids about making healthy choices. Set the example at home and don't buy sugared soft drinks or sugar-sweetened beverages. While nutrition lessons taught at school are important, the health messages sent by parents matter most.

• E-mail me at healthjournal@wsj.com⁶.
 

Updated January 13, 2004

Group Targets Soda in Schools To Help Fight Obesity Problem

CHICAGO -- Soft drinks should be eliminated from schools to help tackle the nation's obesity epidemic and pediatricians should work with their local schools to ensure that children are offered healthful alternatives, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.

In a new policy statement, the academy says doctors should contact superintendents and school-board members and "emphasize the notion that every school in every district shares a responsibility for the nutritional health of its students."

Some schools already limit contracts with vendors of soft drinks and fast foods, though the soft-drink industry has fought efforts by some states to mandate such restrictions.

While some schools rely on funds from vending machines to pay for student activities, the new policy says elementary and high schools should avoid such contracts, and that those with existing contracts should impose restrictions to avoid promoting overconsumption by kids.

The policy appears in the January issue of Pediatrics, being published Monday.

"The purpose of the statement is to give parents and superintendents and school-board members and teachers, too, an awareness of the fact that they're playing a role in the current obesity crisis, and that they have measures at their disposal" to address it, said Dr. Robert D. Murray, the policy's lead author.

About 15% of U.S. youngsters between the ages of six and 19 are seriously overweight. That is nearly nine million youths and triple the number in a similar assessment from 1980.

Soft drinks are a common source of excess calories that can contribute to weight gain, and soft-drink consumers at all ages have a higher daily calorie intake than nonconsumers, the academy's policy said. It cites data showing that 56% to 85% of school-age children consume at least one soft drink daily, most often sugared rather than diet sodas.

The National Soft Drink Association, which represents most soft-drink makers nationwide, said the new policy is misguided and goes too far.

"Soft drinks can be a part of a balanced lifestyle and are a nice treat," said Jim Finkelstein, the association's executive director.

Copyright © 2003 Associated Press

Updated January 5, 2004 4:34 p.m.

Coke's Guidelines for Soft Drinks In Schools Face Some Criticism

ATLANTA -- Some key education groups are backing Coca-Cola Co.'s new guidelines for selling soft drinks in schools. But some local school officials and consumer groups say the plan doesn't go far enough to combat childhood obesity and commercialism in schools.

Coke's relationship with schools has drawn increased scrutiny in recent years and school districts in Los Angeles, New York City and elsewhere have begun to ban sodas from campus in favor of juices and water.

Schools represent about 1% of Coke's North American sales volume, but the company and its bottlers have fought to maintain their presence there. Teens are among the biggest consumers of soft drinks and often form lifetime brand loyalties in high school.

Atlanta-based Coke and Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., its biggest bottler, also based in Atlanta, had previously adopted some of these guidelines. Now all of Coke's U.S. bottlers have agreed to follow these practices, which apply to all current and future deals with K-12 schools in the U.S.

Several education groups, such as the National Association of State Boards of Education and the National Association of Secondary Schools, consulted with Coke on the guidelines and said it was a useful model for school decision makers.

Coke, in its guidelines, said no carbonated drinks should be sold in elementary schools during the school day. The company's juices, milk-based products, sports drinks and waters could be sold instead.

In middle schools and high schools, Coke said carbonated soft drinks should continue to be sold in vending machines, but not in cafeterias. The company also proposes putting timers on vending machines so schools can restrict the hours drinks are available.

Coke said carbonated drinks and bottled water should be offered at the same price in schools. One-time, upfront payments to schools should be avoided. And promotional activities in schools should be done only to support "academic achievement and physical activity."

Some public-health advocates and local school officials favor a complete ban on carbonated soft drinks in all schools.

"This is a good start from Coke but the ultimate goal would be to get rid of carbonated beverages and provide more nutritious products," said David Roer, a pediatrician and school board member in Centerville, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton. Centerville schools banned all soft drinks earlier this fall and began stocking more milk, water and juices in vending machines.

Coke said it is important for educators to maintain their ability "to raise critical resources for their schools."

PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y., already recommends that its bottlers not sell carbonated drinks in elementary schools and advises that noncarbonated drinks make up 50% of what is offered in middle and high schools. A Pepsi spokesman said the "schools set the rules in these relationships."

Write to Chad Terhune at chad.terhune@wsj.com¹

Updated November 17, 2003