- 2 days ago
November 22, 2014
Young Aussie athletes, like these
netballers, would need to spend thousands and consume kilograms of
sugar for rewards under a maligned scheme from Coca-Cola.
Source: News Corp Australia
netballers, would need to spend thousands and consume kilograms of
sugar for rewards under a maligned scheme from Coca-Cola.
Source: News Corp Australia
YOUNG netballers are required to consume 15 kilograms of sugar in
sports drinks to get a set of seven netball bibs in a Coca-Cola
promotion shamed by a Cancer Council Parents’ Jury.
promotion, which would also require sports teams to spend $1400 and
consume 13 kilos of sugar in Powerade or soft drinks to get a single
basketball, has won this year’s Foul Play prize awarded by the Cancer
Council.
It raised the ire of the Parents’ Jury because it associates a healthy activity like sport with the unhealthy consumption of sugar laden soft drinks.
Rewarding? This is how much sugar
sports teams need to consume under the Powerade scheme to earn sports
equipment. Inforgraphic supplied by Cancer Council NSW.
Source: Supplied
sports teams need to consume under the Powerade scheme to earn sports
equipment. Inforgraphic supplied by Cancer Council NSW.
Source: Supplied
promotions pilloried by parents concerned their kids are being targeted
by junk food companies.
The same company was also shamed with the Digital Ninja Award for a digital game called Fanta Flavour Lab that encourages kids to come up with new flavoured soft drinks and share them with friends on social media.
“Teenagers
and children become brand ambassadors for the company sharing this via
their social media profile,” says Cancer Council’s nutrition manager
Clare Hughes.
The Cancer Council’s Parent’s Jury judges junk food
advertising campaigns submitted by angry parents every year in a bid to
shame the companies into changing their practices.
Sugary soft drinks have been linked to the nation’s growing obesity rates which in turn has been linked to cancer.
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“We know junk food contributes to obesity and we know obesity contributes to your risk of cancer,” says Ms Hughes.
Obesity
has been implicated in increased risk of breast cancer, bowel cancer,
endometrial cancer, kidney cancer, oesophageal cancer and pancreatic
cancer, the Cancer Council says.
With one third of cancers are
preventable and with 25 per cent of kids overweight the Cancer Council
says it has an interest in preventing cancers caused by obesity and
that’s why its tackling junk food advertising.
An unhealthy mix ... Mum-of-two Penny
McBride believes promoting soft drinks contradicts the healthy message
of sport for her daughters Jasmine (8) and Natasha (10). Picture Craig
Greenhill
Source: News Limited
McBride believes promoting soft drinks contradicts the healthy message
of sport for her daughters Jasmine (8) and Natasha (10). Picture Craig
Greenhill
Source: News Limited
very concerned that junk food advertising undermines the healthy eating
message they try to deliver.
“Through the year parents choose who
they think are the worst offenders and the jury made up of parents and
health experts judge them,” she said.
Mixing sport and soft drinks
is not a good idea because it contradicts the healthy message of
participating in sport, says Sydney mother of two Penny McBride.
“I
don’t want the girls to take home the message that if they do some
physical activity they should gulp down a sugary drink,” she said.
“I
certainly don’t want the coaches put in the position of pushing these
drinks on our kids to get more equipment for clubs,” she said.
McDonalds Emlings app, a computer game targeting children aged four to eight was also shamed in the awards as was Nestle Australia’s Wonka Chocolate Golden Ticket which exploited children’s affection for the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” story.
The
Cancer Council has hosted the awards for over a decade and says it is
disappointed the same companies are repeat offenders year after year.
“We’re
still trying to get better regulation of junk food advertising on
television but the companies are ten steps ahead and they are already
moving online,” says Ms Hughes.
How much sugar sports clubs need to consume:
1 drink bottle = 28 Powerades = $100 = 939g sugar1 bike = 2,436 Powerades = $9,000 = 84kg sugar
1 esky = 3,591 Powerades = $13,000 = 122 kg sugar
1basketball = 387 Powerades = $1,400 =13kg sugar
7 netball bibs = 400 Powerades = $1,600 = 15kg sugare
