SFCalifornia Politics Over the past ten years, there has been a continual increase in the obesity of Americans. The high levels of sugar and preservatives found in our food/drinks have led to serious medical concerns across the nation. Several organizations have been advocating for the implementation of healthier foods. In fall 2018 Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that will require restaurants in California to make milk or juices made without artificial sweeteners the default option on kids meals. Although this is a step in the right direction, enforcing a change in the promotion of healthier kids meal drinks is not enough to reform the declining health in the United States.
With the California statistic of 40.7% of children or adolescents being overweight in 2016, it’s important to realize that changing the way children eat is the first step in putting our country on a healthier path. According to MomsRising, 40,000 annual deaths in the United States are attributed to heart problems associated with the consumption of sugary drinks. The consumption of sugary drinks has been linked to a variety of other health concerns aside from the increase in obesity; it is also linked to Diabetes, Heart disease, Gout, decrease in bone health, and risk of early death from cancer. When considering how this really affects the day-to-day lives of families in the United States, you may think it isn’t all that important. To put this into perspective, McDonald’s is one of the most iconic fast food chains in the world and, in the United States alone, McDonald’s will sell 602,000 Happy Meals in one day. In the past 20 years, some of the most prominent soft drink companies received backlash over the chemicals found in their drinks. Although some of those companies have since changed the recipes of their drinks, a few controversial ingredients have remained. These ingredients include, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Citric Acid, and Sodium Benzoate. Many of these drinks are packaged in cans containing Bisphenol A; more commonly known as BPA. Bisphenol A has been banned from infant’s plastic cups due to the harmful chemicals, so why hasn’t it been banned from cans that children and adults both drink from? In a study conducted by three professors at Princeton University, the authors concluded that the consumption of sugar can lead to behavioral and psychological changes that are similar to the symptoms of substance abuse (Avena et al). One of the most concerning problems associated with soft drinks is the combination of Citric Acid and Sodium Benzoate. Citric Acid is used as a preservative that can lead to erosion of your teeth, it is common in most carbonated beverages. Sodium Benzoate is another common preservative that is found in most processed foods we consume. However, under the right conditions, Citric Acid and Sodium Benzoate can turn in to Benzene, which is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke (cdc.gov). Benzene is used to make lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides, and it is has linked to cause cancer in humans (cdc.gov). Based on this information, should we do more to reform the manufacturing and sales of these products? Although this bill will have a positive impact on the health of children in the state of California, we have a national crisis that has yet to be addressed. We need to educate parents and children on the dangers of consuming these chemicals and excessive amounts of sugar in our drinks. In addition, we need to start promoting better health so that the media and other elected officials can realize the importance of our health. Aside from the health concerns, beverages with artificial sweeteners have no nutritional value. As of June 2018, the California state legislature banned any new local soda taxes until 2031. However, if alcohol and cigarettes, which also have no nutritional value get taxed, then why shouldn’t soda? The California Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax Initiative was proposed for the 2020 ballot but, as of March 22, 2019, the Secretary of State’s office announced that the initiative failed due to a lack of signatures. The California Senate Bill (SB 1192) enforcing the advertisement of healthy kids meal drinks was passed in September 2018 and went into effect on January 1, 2019. Senator Bill Monning (SD-17) authored the bill, which was co-sponsored by the American Heart Association, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, MomsRising, Public Health Advocates, and YMCA. The bill specifies that the default option for a children’s meal drink must be water, sparkling water, flavored water, or unflavored milk. However, a restaurant still has the ability to sell an alternative beverage should a customer request it. The first violation would be subject to a notice of violation, whereas second and third violations will be punishable by fines. Unfortunately, this will not stop customers from ordering the popular sodas or juices that are full of preservatives and artificial sweeteners. If people were aware of the dangers associated with consuming unhealthy food and drinks, it would increase the chances of longer and healthier lives.
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AuthorUndergraduate student generated content. Blog posting and updating done by Kristina Flores Victor, Assistant Professor of Political Science at CSUS Archives
March 2020
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