Pass the Carrot Juice

The Australian Beverage Council recently unveiled new voluntary guidelines as part of an advertising and labelling policy to be introduced over two years. The policy sets out guidelines such as removing all sugar-sweetened drinks from primary school canteens and only supplying them to high schools on request.

Other measures include banning advertising of such products directly to young children or during children's TV programs and re-labelling soft drinks, juices, teas and sports drinks to provide kilojoule content and nutritional information. Diet drinks are not included in the bans.

Adelaide-based dietitian Tania Ferraretto, from Nutrition Professionals Australia, encouraged all food and beverage manufacturers and outlets to provide clear labelling so consumers could make informed choices.

She said a 375ml can of coke contained 40 grams of sugar or eight teaspoons. A 2-litre bottle had 212 grams or about 42.5 teaspoons.

"Soft drinks are not something for everyday and it is not necessary for school canteens to provide soft drinks," she said. "Soft drinks don't provide nutritional value. They provide sugar . . .

Looking at the pictures of a glass two thirds full of sugar, which is the amount in a 2 litre bottle of Coke, is sickening. Our kids school canteen still sells some sugary drinks and that is what they buy if they have enough money.