Soda vs. the Jelly Bean Rule

Soda vs. the Jelly Bean Rule

By Jeff Stier, Esq.



Cadbury Schweppes' new calcium-enriched 7 Up Plus has really shaken up
the soda market.


Until now, soda companies have been under pressure not to add nutrients
to sodas because of the FDA's so-called "Jelly Bean Rule," which
forbids health claims on low-nutrient foods and drinks. The rule
doesn't forbid fortification, but it has had that effect.


The new 7 Up, which seems to get around the rule by not making any
specific health claims, as well as by adding a bit of fruit juice to
the soda, may open a whole new market. 7 Up Plus shatters the "good
food/bad food" false dichotomy buttressed by the Jelly Bean Rule and
preached by "food police" activists. Before 7 Up Plus, activists such
as Michael Jacobson at the Center for Science in the Public Interest
railed against soda pop as "liquid candy." Calls for bans on soda in
school have gained in popularity. And in New York City schools, as
part of an effort to fight obesity, even Diet Coke was banned from
schools (only to be replaced with high sugar fruit juices.) But
adding nutrients to soda takes the fizz out of the "liquid candy"
argument.


Those who argue against fortifying fun but non-nutrient-rich foods with
important nutrients have it all wrong. They won't tolerate less than
"perfect" choices for consumers who don't get adequate amounts of
calcium in their diets -- especially teenagers. This is a
counterproductive attitude.


Certainly, we should redouble our efforts to educate consumers about
overall good dietary habits, but until those efforts are fully
effective, fortified sodas -- and yes, even candies, if marketed under
a reasonable regulatory framework -- can be a positive development.


As long as large sections of society (teenage girls, for instance) are
not getting enough calcium, and as long as those very same consumers
are already drinking sodas, why not provide them the choice of drinking
a more nutrient-rich soft drink?


Jeff Stier is Associate Director of the American Council on Science and
Health.




This information was found online at:
http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsI...ews_detail.asp