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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Do beverage vending machines in schools provide my child with
good choices?
The beverage industry recently announced an agreement with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation that provides new school beverage guidelines that will reduce the number of calories present in beverages throughout the school. This new agreement also will result in providing students with even more low-calorie and nutritious or functional beverages. The new guidelines build upon the school vending policy adopted by the beverage industry last summer.
How is the beverage industry responding to consumer demand?
In short, there is a choice for any thirst. Today’s beverage makers have responded to consumer interests by producing beverages for just about any taste and palate.
There are many no-calorie, low-calorie, and mid-calorie soft drinks available today. There are caffeinated and caffeine-free versions of soda and sodas come in just about every flavor you can name. There are also plenty of choices for non-carbonated drinks, in addition to fruit juices and fruit beverages, bottled water, ready to drink teas and coffees, sports drinks, energy drinks
and dairy drinks.
What is the biological need for beverages?
Proper hydration is critical to the functioning of the human body. Beverages are an important part
of the diet, quenching thirst, providing hydration and, depending on the type of product you drink, providing energy and essential vitamins or minerals. There are a wide variety of beverages available to Americans, including waters, milk, juices, teas, sports drinks and soft-drinks
to choose from.
What role do beverage choices play in weight control?
Beverages and food obviously play a role in determining good health, as do a number of factors relating to lifestyle. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 137 million adults in the U. S. are overweight. Despite numerous risk factors that lead to obesity the end result is a lack of energy balance. That is if you consume more calories than you use up in day to day activities and exercise you will gain weight. This is true no matter whether those calories come from food or beverages. Beverage companies have responded to the changing needs and interests of consumers by providing many lower-calorie and no-calorie beverages.
Is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) a cause for obesity?
Contrary to what some people have said, HFCS is no different than table sugar.
Many people confuse HFCS with fructose because of the similar names, but three new scientific studies and one new scientific review show that HFCS acts no differently than table sugar in the human body. Here's why: most types of HFCS contain about 55% fructose and 45% glucose, while table sugar is 50% fructose and 50% glucose, so they're fundamentally very similar. The name "high" fructose corn syrup is really a misnomer.
HFCS use has greatly increased from 1970-1990, and obesity also has increased during that same time, but that does not mean that HFCS causes obesity. For example, in England, Egypt and Brazil, the rates of increase in obesity are just as high as in the U.S. and those countries do not use HFCS in beverages at all.
Is aspartame safe?
Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly tested ingredients of all time with more than 200 scientific studies confirming its safety. Since it was approved for use in some foods in 1981 and for soft drinks in 1983, the sugar substitute—which has shown no links to increased cancer risk in humans
— has been reviewed and approved by regulatory agencies around the globe, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Union Scientific Committee on Food, and the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (JECFA) Expert Committee on Food Additives. In addition, renowned scientific bodies, including the National Cancer Institute, also have validated its safety for both over-the-counter use and use in food products.
People have used aspartame, better known as Equal, safely for over twenty-five years. Equal has been extensively tested, both when it was first introduced, then through the years, and now in one of the largest research studies of its kind conducted. Government researchers at the National Cancer Institute just released a study of over five hundred thousand people, including those who drank the equivalent of three or more diet soft drinks every day for almost a decade and proved there was no increased cancer risk.
Does consumption of soft drinks mean children are consuming
less calcium?
Several studies show that consuming soft drinks is not associated with a decreased intake of calcium. Nevertheless, many children do not get enough calcium, and the beverage industry supports efforts to promote calcium intake.
How can I recycle bottles and packaging?
Comprehensive recycling initiatives are great programs, and have been successfully employed in communities nationwide. These programs provide a cost-effective and efficient way to recycle. Curbside programs or using a designated drop off site are simple to use because they provide a single place to recycle all materials. We encourage you to recycle using the system available
in your community.
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