Drinks industry body the Australian Beverages Council has rejected a recent news report that points to soft drink consumption among teenage boys as a major contributor to adult obesity and a potential cancer risk.
The news report published recently in the West Australian newspaper linked soft drink intake of more than 50 litres consumed by one in six Australian teenage boys with adult obesity and cancer.
In a letter to the editor, Australian Beverages Council CEO Geoff Parker noted that although teenage boys did have the highest consumption rate of soft drinks, they also consumed the most pies, hamburgers, French fries and potato chips.
According to Parker, the ABS data showed that the average Australian child gets over 38 per cent of their daily calories from discretionary or treat foods, and that soft drinks are ranked only eighth in the list of calorie contributors from this part of the diet, with the average child getting just 1.9 per cent of their daily calories from soft drinks.
“Continuing to focus on a relatively small and declining part of the diet – sugar from soft drinks, as the report found, is not serving anyone any good. Lets have a more nuanced discussion about the total diet and of course the importance of regular physical activity,” Parker wrote.
The full letter follows.
Dear Editor,
I refer to the article “Soft drinks a health risk for teen boys" published in the West Australian, which reports that cancer experts are calling for a sugar tax based on research showing large numbers of teenage boys are drinking more soft drinks than any other demographic group.
These findings come as no surprise. The CSIRO analysed ABS data from the Australian Health Survey, which found teenage boys had the highest consumption rate of soft drinks. Of course, they also consumed the most of just about everything else including pies, hamburgers, French fries and potato chips.
Most importantly, the CSIRO analysis also found that for boys, there was no clear association between per cent consuming soft drinks and the amount they consumed, and weight status. That’s to say that overweight and obese boys weren’t drinking more than underweight or normal weight boys, and there weren’t more of them. This Government data seems to be in contrast with that the Cancer Council are eluding to, but didn’t actually look at.
Also of interest, the ABS data showed that the average Australian child gets over 38 per cent of their daily calories from discretionary or treat foods. We’d all agree this is too much but soft drinks are ranked 8th in the list of calorie contributors from this part of the diet and the average child gets just 1.9 per cent of their daily calories from soft drinks. Continuing to focus on a relatively small and declining part of the diet – sugar from soft drinks, as the report found, is not serving anyone any good. Lets have a more nuanced discussion about the total diet and of course the importance of regular physical activity.
Whilst much of the work the Cancer Council does in helping Australians live cancer-free should be acknowledged, it’s disappointing that despite the Coalition Government coming out only a week or so ago denouncing a sugar tax, some health experts continue to see taxes, taxes and more taxes as the only solution to what is a really complex problem.
Yours sincerely,
Geoff Parker
