IN Sydney, those attending a recent conference demanded that a worldwide ban should be placed upon the marketing of sugar-laden soft drinks to those under 16 years old.
The prime reason is fat – the weight gained by youngsters.
In the supposedly developed nations, obesity among youths is endemic and growing rapidly.
Nutritionists say that much of the blame can be laid at the door of soft drinks, most of which contain large quantities of sugar.
Taken in conjunction with a diet peppered with greasy fried food, high carbohydrate potato-based snacks, cheese nibbles rich in cholesterol and saturated oils and ice blocks filled with sugar, the spread of the spread in the under 16s is no surprise.
Children in the western world are increasingly overweight.
They’re not interested in sports or formal exercise of any kind.
And they’re perfectly happy to crouch for hours in front of computers playing the latest Nintendo game, or flop unblinkingly in front of the TV, surrounded by snacks and soft drinks.
So what’s happening to our own kids?
We suggest that the story is the same – or worse.
For while parents in overseas countries are generally aware of the high sugar content of soft drinks, our own families may not be so informed.
Not so many years ago, PNG school children took fruits to school for recess and lunch.
Today, young students have become addicted to canned and bottled drinks that add to the negative potential of our contemporary diet.
It’s not just the ever-growing legion of flabby youths that is a cause for worry; there are many other health concerns.
Let’s consider teeth.
A youngster who drinks two or three carbonated soft drinks each day is almost certain to have a greater amount of tooth decay than his companion who crunches on an apple or quarters an orange.
The tiny handful of PNG dentists despairs over a generation that no longer receives regular oral checkups; a focus of the recent medical symposium in Port Moresby was oral health, an area of medical care that has become almost invisible in our country.
Unless soft drink-swilling teens rinse their mouths at least a couple of times a day, they can virtually guarantee that they are at risk of dental decay.
Legislating human behaviour is rarely a satisfactory answer.
It’s obviously better to educate people to accept a desirable course of action.
But as with tobacco smoking, a controversy surrounds the issue of limiting the rights of a group or class of citizens.
Proponents of such action say that their proposals are “in the common good,” while their opponents regard any limitations as an unwarranted intrusion upon their personal lives.
One of the worst aspects of soft drinks is their use, in ignorance, by young mothers.
It is not uncommon to see such mothers plugging a soft drink bottle into the mouth of a three months old baby, accompanied by mouthfuls of cream bun.
Fifty years ago, the consumption of sugar in PNG was something of a luxury.
Today, there are few products on our supermarket shelves that do not contain sugar.
Even one of our most popular tinned meat products manufactures a version that contains sugar, while familiar products such as ice cream and biscuits are filled with the commodity.
From an economics point
of view, the downing of crates of soft drinks is also undesirable.
A can of soft drink costs a minimum of K2, and that’s far more than a more satisfying piece of fruit bought at the market, or even an apple or orange from the store.
The issue in Sydney was the question of advertising targeting the young.
We’re all aware of soft drink promotions that offer sports bags or yo-yos or caps and T-shirts if you buy enough of their products.
It may be time to follow alcohol and tobacco advertising bans with similar legislation to outlaw the commercial seduction of our children by large scale manufacturers of soft drinks.
Certainly soft drink sponsorship of youth sports borders on the cynical – promoting sugar saturated drinks likely to lead to weight gain and a brace of illnesses is a curious way of ensuring a happy and healthy nation.