State Soda Tax Could Be Lifeboat for Fiscally Strapped Counties

For cash-strapped counties struggling to fund vital programs, the state’s proposed soda tax (AB 669-Monning) could be a lifeboat, according to a new county-by-county analysis of how that revenue would be returned to local communities. The proposed penny an ounce tax on sugary beverages would raise an estimated $1.7 billion annually in California. The bulk of those funds – 85 percent or $1.4 billion – would be returned to counties proportional to their population to pay for education and children’s health programs.

“Local communities will be the direct beneficiaries of a soda tax,” explains Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which conducted the study to better understand how the monies will be allocated. “A soda tax would return about $233 per student in the county to programs aimed at protecting the health and well-being of children. That’s a smart investment.”

Local schools will be the biggest winners of a soda tax, with about 60 percent of local funds going to the classroom and an additional 20 percent to help pay for improvements to physical education and provide nutritious school meals. AB 669 also carves out another 20 percent of the local funds to pay for local children’s programs like youth sports and afterschool programs.

To learn more about the study and see how much money would go to your county, visit the CCPHA website at: www.publichealthadvocacy.org/revenuestudy.html

Majority of California Voters Support Soda Tax According to Field Research Poll

Even in the midst of what may be the most hostile tax environment in a decade, a statewide poll shows a solid majority of California voters support a soda tax to fund childhood obesity prevention programs in California.

Support for a soda tax was evenly distributed throughout the state:

• Statewide: 56 percent
• San Francisco Bay Area: 60 percent
• Los Angeles County: 61 percent
• Other Southern California counties (including San Diego and Orange): 54 percent

The Central Valley was the only region in the state where less than a majority supported a soda tax (43 percent). What did the Fresno Bee have to say?

The most surprising finding? The level of support among low income voters (those making less than $40,000 per year) at 60 percent and Latinos at 66 percent. "The soda industry often pretends they want to protect the low income and minority communities from higher soda prices, but it's exactly these communities who support soda taxes," said Harold Goldstein, executive director of CCPHA.

The public opinion poll, conducted by the Field Research Corporation and commissioned by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, surveyed 503 registered California voters by telephone. Click here for more information about the poll.

Florez announces penny per teaspoon soda tax

In the face of a $41 billion statewide obesity epidemic, California Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez today introduced legislation to tax sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages to fund childhood obesity programs.

The Florez bill would levy a penny for every teaspoon of added sugar in commercial beverages sold. It's estimated the excise tax on beverage distributors would raise $1.5 billion a year for California cities and schools to pay for childhood obesity prevention programs.

A growing body of research highlighting the central role of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages in driving the obesity epidemic prompted the senator's bill, including a study from one of our client's last year.

"When Michelle Obama introduced her children's health initiative last week she explained that our children didn't do this to themselves," said Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. "They didn't create an environment where high sugar sodas are the cheapest, easiest drink to find. We did that to them. We have a responsibility to fix it and this bill is the right way to start."

~ Nicole

The Soda Ad That Didn't Make It

Soda/Obesity Verdict: Guilty As Charged!

California's Senate Health Committee dug deep last week to discern the role soda and other sweetened beverages play in the obesity crisis. The findings: Guilty as Charged!

Listening to six hours of testimony from the nation's leading health researchers and scientists as well as defense from soda industry reps, the irrefutable conclusion points to the significant and leading role soda plays in beefing up America.

With the depth of understanding and plethora of research presented, it's up to elected officials to take the next step and develop legislate to slow consumption of these "sugar delivery systems."

Mike

Contra Costa County Family Doctors Take Stand Against American Academy of Family Physicians

There's been a lot of outrage over the news that the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is now partnering with Coca-Cola to "create educational materials to teach consumers how to make the right choices and incorporate the products they love into a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle." A group of physicians in our own backyard called out the organization for their blatant betrayal of children's health.

"I am appalled and ashamed of the partnership between Coca-Cola and the American Academy of Family Physicians," said Contra Costa Health Services Director Dr. Walker. "How can an organization that claims to promote public health join forces with a company that promotes products that sicken our children?"

Dr. Walker, who has been a member of the AAFP for 25 years, formally resigned from the organization today and tore up his membership card. His fellow doctors also spoke out against the soda industry and how it conflicts with local efforts to prevent obesity.

"An organization like the AAFP should be taking a leadership role in helping consumers and especially young people make really good choices about what to eat. We need as much help as possible to get our communities to see past the false claims of companies like Coca-Cola," said Dr. Walker.

Bravo doctors! It's so refreshing to see individuals put their foot down and value the health of our communities rather than just making as much money as possible.

~ Nicole

What Soda Does For Marketing

I was disgusted to learn in a recent report just how hard the soda industry is working to push its products, especially to children. Berkeley Media Studies Group and Strategic Alliance for Healthy Food and Activity Environments unveiled a host of provocative discoveries including:

Soda is Heavily Marketed to Children and Adolescents

• In 2006, carbonated beverages accounted for the greatest marketing expenditure directed at children (ages 2-11) and adolescents (ages 12-17) by major food and beverage companies ($492 million spent on soda marketing, compared to $294 million for restaurant foods, the next highest category).


• Of the $492 million, $117 million was spent marketing carbonated beverages using traditional promotional activities such as product placement ads appearing before or within a video game; ads preceding a home video of theatre movie; sponsorships of sports teams and athletes; celebrity endorsements; or philanthropy.
  

Digital Advertising is Soda’s New Frontier

• Since the 2006 launch of MyCokeRewards.com, nearly six million rewards have been redeemed by the more than nine million members. Members of MyCokeRewards.com average over nine minutes per visit on the site.
  
• Globally, Coca-Cola has 19 million consumers registered in its databases, of which over 40% are under the age of 25.
  
• Pepsi Cola partnered with MTV to reach audiences aged 12 to 34 who are comfortable in MTV’s digital world, including the virtual reality paired with its hit TV-show “The Hills.” There, users created their own characters, or avatars, who can pump their virtual coins to buy a drink to quench their virtual thirst. Pepsi was the top-selling virtual product in 2007, selling more than 110,000 cans that were virtually recycled and used more than 650,000 times.

Visit www.eatbettermovemore.org to download the full report.

~ Nicole

Tell Congress what you think about soda

Americans Against Food Taxes, a coalition that includes the beverage association and other industry goups, ran the following ad in a recent issue of the Washington Post:

According to their Web site, the group claims to be “a coalition of concerned citizens – responsible individuals, financially strapped families, small and large businesses in communities across the country – opposed to the Government’s proposed tax hike on food and beverages, including soda, juice drinks, and flavored milks.” One of their big goals is to prevent the enactment of a tax that “will have a negative impact on American families struggling in this economy.”

Nice try guys, but I just don’t buy that particular argument. Why are financially strapped families buying an unhealthy, non-essential beverage – tax or no tax – in the first place? Drinking water instead of purchasing the sugary stuff at the grocery store would actually save an average of $500 each year.

The House health reform bill may not include a soft drink tax, but there is still a chance that a tax will be included in the Senate Finance bill. Whichever side you may be on, now’s your chance to let your elected officials know how you feel about a soft drink tax.

~ Nicole

Kick the Can and Go Soda Free this Summer!

Mounds of evidence show that sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to skyrocketing rates of obesity and diabetes, especially among children. This summer, Bay Area children and adults are encouraged to rethink their drink choices and choose healthier beverages, such as water, low-fat milk, and 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices, over sugary sodas and other sweetened beverages.

The Soda Free Summer campaign, launched by the Bay Area Nutrition and Physical Activity Collaborative (BANPAC), comprised of over 300 health and nutrition professionals, helps residents enjoy a summer without the un-needed calories of sweetened beverages.

The campaign includes Be Sugar Savvy educational workshops, presentations and exhibits on soda and other sweetened beverages for teachers, youth groups, and community and health organizations. These individuals will then take the message to the public via posters, brochures and Soda Free Summer pledge cards. There will also be a raffle for a bike and $500 of healthy grocery certificates.

But the real winners will be those who change their drinking habits. According to the survey results from last year's campaign, over 5,000 Bay Area residents sent in pledges to go soda free for the summer.

For more information about Soda Free Summer, visit www.sodafreesummer.org and follow the campaign on Facebook.

~ Nicole

The future of food labels

Reposted from Fooducate:

If the smell from the supermarket bakery or deli department isn't enough to crank up your hunger and open up your wallet, here’s what the future has in store for you:

Peter Harrop, IDTechex chairman, said that printed electronics are emerging that will engage more of the human senses. “Future labels will be able to sense when a consumer is near and emit an aroma such as coffee to encourage them to purchase the product.”

He added that the next generation of printed electronics will also include reusable, reconfigurable and programmable labels, some of which are responsive and interactive such as moving color pictures.

I'm sure the fast food and soda industries are over this one.

~ Nicole