"Gulp" Campaign Reignites Soft Drinks Debate in UK Food Industry

17 Feb 2015 --- The UK food and drinks industry has responded with frustration at the latest Gulp (Give Up Loving Pop) anti-soft drinks campaign, calling it ‘alarmist’ and ‘scare-mongering’.

Both the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) and the Food and Drink Federation have issued statements that highlight the need for campaigners to educate consumers with facts, rather than picking on one product and make unsubstantiated claims.

Gulp is a campaign launched by Food Active, a body organised by the North West Directors of Public Health, with the aim to reduce obesity rates. Since its inception in November 2013, the soft drinks category has been the main target of the group. The campaign was launched following research that revealed the lack of awareness among both adults and young people regarding the link between consumption of sugary drinks and weight gain and a range of associated health conditions. Gulp campaigners have been travelling around the country trying to encourage people to think twice before they reach for the bottle.

One of their latest moves was to hand out 500 toothbrushes at the London Eye, which is now sponsored by Coca-Cola. The significance of toothbrushes was that 500 children per week are admitted to hospital as a result of tooth decay, caused by too much sugar in the diet. Much of this sugar comes from soft drinks, says Food Active.

The latest campaign includes slogans such as ‘People who drink more than three fizzy drinks a day are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease’.

Gavin Partington, BSDA Director General, said: “If these campaigners were genuinely interested in public health they would be seeking to educate all consumers about the importance of a balanced diet and physical exercise rather than erroneously targeting one product category and making scare-mongering claims which are not supported by the evidence.

“Soft drinks companies are taking practical steps to help consumers lead healthier lives - product reformulation to reduce calories, increasing availability of smaller pack sizes and significant investment in promotion of low and no calorie options – up by nearly 50% last year alone.

“These practical steps will do more to help consumers than a campaign based on smear tactics.”

The organisation claims that soft drinks contribute to just 3% of calories consumed in the UK.

Responding to the campaign, Barbara Gallani, FDF's Director of Regulation, Science & Health, said: “We strongly believe that nutrition advice, whether from public health officials, charities or industry, should be consistent and based on robust and up-to-date scientific evidence. This is a fundamental principle which all stakeholders in public health must subscribe to if consumers are to have confidence in the dietary advice they receive.

”Some of the Gulp campaign's messages are alarmist and not backed by the considerable body of science currently available on carbohydrates and health. Education and practical support which empowers consumers to make healthier choices holds more long-term value than efforts to vilify popular food or drinks which can in themselves fit within a healthy, balanced diet when consumed in moderation. These adverts are likely to leave consumers extremely confused about what the evidence is for making such claims.“

Robin Ireland, Chief Executive of the Health Equalities Group and Director of the Gulp campaign, said: “Few people fully realise the harm that sugary drinks can do to your health. As well as damaging your teeth, overconsumption of these drinks can lead to weight gain, type 2 diabetes and poor heart health. Given the levels of overweight and obesity across the UK, in particular among youngsters, unless we start to take action on sugary drinks we will be storing up problems for future generations.

“As sugary drinks manufacturers seem less-than-willing to inform the public about the health harms associated with overconsumption of their products we’ve launched our Gulp campaign to get the message across and take the fight to the manufacturers.

“With 40% young people reportedly drinking three or more glasses of sugary drinks per day it is vital that we send a message to Government about the damage that is being done to the health of our children and young people and the need for education on healthier alternatives,” Ireland concluded.

In January, the British Dietetics Association (BDA) published a policy statement that highlighted the added sugar from sugary soft drinks as a key area in which added sugar, and therefore obesity, could be reduced.

The policy statement, entitled ‘Interventions Which Reduce the Consumption of Energy From Sugary Drinks In Children’ clearly identifies that the nation is consuming too much added sugar especially in those aged between four and 18 years of age, and calls for: A range of public policies to reduce the frequency and amount of sugary drinks consumed by children and adolescents; The principle of a tax on sugary drinks as part of a range of measures that will be essential to reduce obesity and improve diet; and  school based education programmes as an example of interventions which may offer health professionals the best opportunities for implementing cost effective and sustainable interventions which are effective in children and adolescents.

Speaking about the BDA Sugary Drinks policy statement, dietitian Amanda Avery, commented: “All the credible evidence highlights that, as a nation, we are consuming too much sugar in our diet. In addition, the current recommendation from The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is for the current daily amount of recommended sugar to be significantly reduced.

“In particular, it is clear that children and young people are taking in the greatest amount of sugar and this trend is on the up.  It is time that we addressed this issue in a clear and concerted way and the BDA is calling on a collective approach to help curb the sweet tooth on the nation.”