Soft Drink Manufacturers To End Sales of Soda in Some Canadian Schools To Address Childhood Obesity
Soft drink manufacturers in Canada have decided to end the sale of soda in Canadian elementary and middle schools before the next academic year begins to help address childhood obesity, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The companies will replace soda in school vending machines with water, juices, juice drinks and sports drinks. The Canadian beverage industry, led by Coca-Cola and Pepsi affiliates, developed the plan over the past year. The plan does not affect the sale of soda in high schools, according to Refreshments Canada President Gemma Zecchini. "We think we've done the responsible thing," Zecchini said. However, she added that the plan would likely prove more difficult to implement in the United States because the Canadian beverage industry is more consolidated than the U.S. industry, which "makes it easier to get everybody in the same room" to develop such a plan (Leith, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1/7).
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