Fizz Free February: Sustain campaign warns of health and environmental implications of soft drinks consumption

09 Feb 2021 --- The 2021 Fizz Free February campaign is encouraging UK consumers to stop drinking carbonated beverages on various health, environmental and sustainability claims. The campaign is backed by Sugar Smart UK, part of Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming.

“Our Fizz Free February campaign has received a lot of interest, both within our UK-wide network of healthy eating campaigns and public health teams, but also by other organizations focusing on food and the environment,” Vera Zakharov, local action coordinator at Sustain, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“I’m pleased to see people across our sector taking an interest in the issue of soft drink overconsumption from both a health and climate impact perspective.”

A health-focused campaign
Sugar Smart has previously supported the Fizz Free February campaign, which was started by London’s Southwark council in 2018, by encouraging people to take up the month-long challenge through promoting the health and money-saving benefits. 

But last year, Zakharov says Sustain were interested in looking at how a health-focused campaign such as Sugar Smart can do its part to address the climate and nature emergency. 

“The promotion of routine consumption of unhealthy food and drink, which often comes in single-use packaging, needs to be considered in a systematic way,” she flags. 

It’s not just about the cost to our health, but in the use of precious finite resources for something that does not even nourish our bodies.”

February 1 marked the start of the 2021 Fizz Free February campaign.2021 is the year the UK hosts COP26 – the international climate change conference – so both national organizations, such as Sustain and local organizations working to improve their food system must become bolder about focusing on the drivers of the twin issues of diet-related ill-health and environmental degradation, Zakharov urges. 

“It’s this kind of big picture public awareness that will drive the cultural shifts we need to reduce the impact of our food system on the climate.”

Balancing the “fizz”
Soft drinks are safe to consume as part of a balanced diet, says both Sustain and the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA). 

When FoodIngredientsFirst contacted BSDA, a communications spokesperson revealed: “To clarify, this is not a BSDA campaign. We oppose it.”

While the challenge is about avoiding fizzy drinks (both with sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners) for the month, it’s not about banning all fizzy drinks. 

“A challenge like Fizz Free February is about resetting a healthier relationship with fizzy drinks and breaking routine habits,” Zakharov outlines. 

“I’m sure even soft drinks manufacturers would agree that their products are not intended as part of a daily diet. My hope is for individuals taking part to utilize health and environmental motivations to consume fizzy drinks only as an occasional treat, taking into account all the costs involved.”

Eye on consumer behavior 
According to Zakharov, many organizations involved in promoting the Fizz Free challenge will likewise be more ready to discuss the broader impacts of unhealthy food and drink overconsumption on our common natural resources. 

“This is not about putting responsibility solely on behavior change – individuals already feel a lot of guilt and pressure over their food choices,” she stresses. 

Soft drinks are safe to consume as part of a balanced diet, says both Sustain and the BSDA.“This is about reconsidering the wider unhealthy food environment, both in our local areas and in digital media, and the ways people are nudged to consume these products on a routine basis.”

“I would love to see bolder policies around advertising and promotion. If we considered in-person free giveaways of fizzy drinks from a climate perspective and well as health, that makes for a much stronger argument for limiting such needless brand promotions.”

Embedding sustainability into the soft drinks sector
The soft drinks industry recognizes it has a role to play in tackling obesity, which is why calorie and sugar reduction targets have been prevalent.

All plastic bottles produced by British soft drinks manufacturers are 100 percent recyclable. The BSDA and its members support introducing a GB-wide deposit return scheme for all plastic.

According to Sustain, increasing the use of cans is the best way to increase recycling levels and tackle litter.

There are several initiatives and certification schemes in place across Europe to help soft drinks companies embed sustainability into their supply chains. Many BSDA members support and participate in them.

Water is an essential part of soft drinks and is used throughout the production process and the whole supply chain. 

BSDA members contributed to a food and drink industry target to reduce water use by 20 percent by 2020 compared to 2007, and this work continues.

By Elizabeth Green