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The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

nytimes.com

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Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#31

Post by ScottWhigham »

kachnuv_ocasek wrote: post #23
PKop wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Young children don't do the grocery shopping. Parents need to take responsibility and not buy unhealthy food for their kids. I'd say children up to a certain age are drinking this stuff simply because their parents bought it for them (How else?). Plus, "when they target children" would simply become harder to define as companies would modify their ads, but the problem would remain if parents aren't taking an active r…

Kids can buy whatever they want if they have money. And surely, they'll buy the shiny thing thing they saw on TV or the internet when they encounter it in the shop and see it's cheap.

When it comes to "Where do children get their food while at home?", I think it's fair to say they get 90+% of it from "Whoever does the grocery shopping".

Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#32

Post by jimmar »

It's interesting to me that diet soda consumption has dropped from its peak. I would have guessed that sugary soda would have been replaced by diet soda, but it appears that water has replaced sugary soda more frequently. Mind mildly blown.

Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#33

Post by littletimmy »

lfjmfkekdk wrote: post #15
littletimmy wrote: post #10

What we really need is a limit on advertising. Corporations manufacturing packaged sugar like coke, cereal etc. should not be able to manipulate young children to get them addicted to their crap. Sell this stuff in plain white boxes, ban advertising to young children, and in general, limit the free speech of soulless legal fictions when they target children.

That will certainly not pass the first amendment test.

The first amendment shouldn't really apply to corporations. We already limit the advertising of tobacco, for example. Sugar is as harmful.

Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#34

Post by PKop »

kachnuv_ocasek wrote: post #23
PKop wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Young children don't do the grocery shopping. Parents need to take responsibility and not buy unhealthy food for their kids. I'd say children up to a certain age are drinking this stuff simply because their parents bought it for them (How else?). Plus, "when they target children" would simply become harder to define as companies would modify their ads, but the problem would remain if parents aren't taking an active r…

Kids can buy whatever they want if they have money. And surely, they'll buy the shiny thing thing they saw on TV or the internet when they encounter it in the shop and see it's cheap.

Again, kids won't do "whatever they want" if their parents do their job and instill proper discipline, education, and consequences for behavior that they don't want.

If you want the government to do your parenting for you, I don't know what to tell you. Not my idea of good parenting, and I think the results will be disappointing. We can agree to disagree on that.

Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#35

Post by orangecat »

andyfleming wrote: post #17
littletimmy wrote: post #10

What we really need is a limit on advertising. Corporations manufacturing packaged sugar like coke, cereal etc. should not be able to manipulate young children to get them addicted to their crap. Sell this stuff in plain white boxes, ban advertising to young children, and in general, limit the free speech of soulless legal fictions when they target children.

What we really need is education. Children and adults alike should better understand nutrition and what they are putting in their bodies. It's no secret that soda and so many other drinks are packed with sugar, but no one seems to care or understand.

It's no secret that soda and so many other drinks are packed with sugar, but no one seems to care or understand.

Or they do understand, and are willing to make the tradeoff. I'm about to order a pizza. It will be unhealthy, and also delicious.

Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#36

Post by jfoutz »

lemevi wrote: post #5

Just take some time next time you're in a supermarket and walk down the cereal aisle, it's just incredible. It's all sugar and carbohydrates in colorful cartoony boxes meant to appeal to children. Just a cup of cereal has many calories and people and children eat huge bowls of this stuff. So I think an anti-cereal campaign might also help. I often wonder what would happen to national obesity rates if cereal aisles in…

As weird as it is, things are improving in the U.S.

I met an ad exec who ran the Joe Camel campaign. People will do what works. The free market will end up with really effective but unwanted solutions. Marketing to kids is one of those places where simple regulation makes a lot of sense.

Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#37

Post by littletimmy »

yincrash wrote: post #14
littletimmy wrote: post #10

What we really need is a limit on advertising. Corporations manufacturing packaged sugar like coke, cereal etc. should not be able to manipulate young children to get them addicted to their crap. Sell this stuff in plain white boxes, ban advertising to young children, and in general, limit the free speech of soulless legal fictions when they target children.

where do you draw the line? should all food be sold in white boxes with plain lettering?

We'll have to draw, as in most things, an arbitrary line by consensus. Spinach is on one side, sugar on another, Milk is on spinach's side, tobacco on sugar's, and so on.

This is stuff that we should decide as a society to keep ourselves safe from corporate psychopaths.

Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#38

Post by jobu »

frenchy wrote: post #8
lemevi wrote: post #5

Just take some time next time you're in a supermarket and walk down the cereal aisle, it's just incredible. It's all sugar and carbohydrates in colorful cartoony boxes meant to appeal to children. Just a cup of cereal has many calories and people and children eat huge bowls of this stuff. So I think an anti-cereal campaign might also help. I often wonder what would happen to national obesity rates if cereal aisles in…

There some much healthier options in there if you know where to look, but unfortunately its not easy to identify them, and even things like granola which are colloquially thought to be healthy are often jam packed with sugar.

Exactly. They put extra sugar/sweeteners in absolutely everything these days. You have to look at the ingredients and calories on anything you buy.

Even super healthy-eeming things like granola or dried fruit usually have sugar added. Yogurt is still promoted as a healthy snack, but most of them have as much added sugar as a candy bar.

Re: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’

#39

Post by lawn »

lfjmfkekdk wrote: post #13
lemevi wrote: post #5

Just take some time next time you're in a supermarket and walk down the cereal aisle, it's just incredible. It's all sugar and carbohydrates in colorful cartoony boxes meant to appeal to children. Just a cup of cereal has many calories and people and children eat huge bowls of this stuff. So I think an anti-cereal campaign might also help. I often wonder what would happen to national obesity rates if cereal aisles in…

I have a large bowl of cereal every morning. Yes, I eat those kids' sugary cereals. My BMI is below 20.

Be careful of assigning too much importance on BMI or weight in general. Eating a lot of sugar increases the risk for diabetes even if you're skinny.
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