2 solons want softdrinks ban in schools

MANILA, Philippines - Two legislators have filed a bill, seeking to ban the sale of softdrinks and carbonated beverages in schools in the country.

Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao and Camarines Sur Rep. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo filed House Bill 4021 or the "Health Beverage Options Act of 2014" seeks to regulate the availability of beverages to children in schools.

"Academic studies have shown that there is nothing healthy about carbonated soft drinks or soda. In fact, there is continuous stream of scientific studies that show the health risks of soda intake," the authors said.

Under the measure, the following beverages shall not be provided or sold at schools:

-soft drinks, sports drinks, punches, and iced teas;

-fruit-based drinks that contain less than 50 percent real fruit juice or that contain additional sweeteners;

-drinks containing caffeine, excluding low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk.

"Soda consumption is associated with increased fracture risk due to reduced bone mass. Soft drink intake also increases the incidence of dental caries or decay and obesity especially among adolescents and young adults," the lawmakers said.

They added that phosphorus, high fructose corn syrup, caffeine and the carbon acids impair the body's capacity to absorb calcium.

Soft drink consumption of children is linked to insufficient calcium in the body, impaired calcification of growing bones, and increased risk of bone fracture, they noted.

The high levels of caffeine in soft drinks could disrupt sleep and lead to anxiety and DNA damage and hyperactivity, especially among children.

The World Health Organization recognized that consumption of soft drinks contributes to the growing incidence of obesity, as well as increased risks for heart disease, the lawmakers said.

On the other hand, the following beverages shall be sold at schools:

- Fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50 percent fruit juice and that do not contain additional sweeteners;

-waters and seltzer;

-low-fat or fat-free milk, including, but not limited to, chocolate milk, soy milk, rice milk, and other similar dairy or non-dairy calcium-fortified milks.

The legislators also said that it is the duty of schools to provide free potable water for students, staff and personnel.

"Local school boards shall include the costs for providing potable water consistent with Sections 99 and 100 of Republic Act No. 7160 of the Local Government Code of 1991," the authors stressed.

The proposed statute provides that all school shall have the duty to incorporate into their curriculum lessons the effect of the consumption of unhealthy foods and drinks, including the effects of sugar in the human body, the lady lawmakers added.

"Recent studies associate soft drink consumption by young children with aggression, attention problems, and withdrawal behavior," they said.

The European Journal of Cancer Prevention reported that researchers from the University of Edinburgh found an association between higher risk of the colorectal cancer and eating "high-energy snack foods" (snack foods high in sugar and fat) and high-energy drinks (including sodas and other sugary beverages), they added.

The lawmakers also noted a 2010 study in Diabetes Care showing that drinking one to two sugary drinks per day increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent, compared with having less than one serving a month.