Diet Tip

Can warning labels on sugary soft drinks help reduce obesity? If you ask Coke and Pepsi, the answer will be no. If you ask public health activists, the answer will be yes. A group of researchers decided to test people's decisions by offering them a choice of drinks, some labeled, and others not.

A group of over 2300 parents from diverse backgrounds was recruited for an online experiment. Each parent was shown 1 of 6 bottles of a fictional soft drink that they could choose for their child:
1. calorie label
2. no label (control group)
3-6. a variation of the following warning text: "Safety Warning: Drinking beverages with added sugar[s] contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay"

60 percent of parents chose a soft drink if it had no label. 53 percent chose a soft drink if it had a calorie label. Only 40 percent chose a soft drink when a warning text was included.

Conclusion: warning labels work.

California and New York are currently trying to legislate for warning labels on any soft drink with over 75 calories from sugar per 12 ounces. That works out to 4.5 teaspoons of sugar or more. Expect a protracted war with the soft drink industry...

Learn how much added sugar is in your food or drink with the FREE Fooducate app (Android, iPhone).

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Source: Roberto et al - The Influence of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Health Warning Labels on Parents’ Choices - Pediatrics, Feb 2016