Fruit drinks and flavored waters that contain added
sugars and/or low-calorie (diet) sweeteners dominated sales of drinks intended
for children in 2018, making up 62 percent of the $2.2 billion in total
children's drink sales, according to Children's Drink FACTS 2019, a new report
from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of
Connecticut.
In contrast, the report -- funded by the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation -- found that healthier drinks, such as 100 percent juice,
represented just 38 percent of children's drink sales that year. The report
also found that companies spent $20.7 million to advertise children's drinks
with added sugars in 2018, primarily to kids under age 12.
Some companies have developed drinks that may be healthier
for children, such as juice and water blends that do not contain added
sweeteners, and these companies have begun to advertise them to parents and
children, researchers say. However, common nutrition-related claims and images
of fruit on packages of sugary fruit drinks and flavored waters make it
difficult for parents to easily identify the healthier drinks for their
children.
"Beverage companies have said they want to be
part of the solution to childhood obesity, but they continue to market
sugar-sweetened children's drinks directly to young children on TV and through
packages designed to get their attention in the store," said Jennifer L.
Harris, PhD, MBA, lead study author and the Rudd Center's director of Marketing
Initiatives. "Parents may be surprised to know that pediatricians,
dentists, and other nutrition experts recommend against serving any of these
drinks to children.
Researchers assessed the top-selling brands of
children's drinks -- including 34 sweetened drinks (fruit drinks, flavored waters,
and drink mixes) and 33 drinks without added sweeteners (100 percent juice,
juice-water blends, and one sparkling water) -- analyzing sales, advertising
spending, children's exposure to TV advertising, nutritional content, and
product packaging. Brands with at least $10 million in sales in 2018 were
included.
Confusing Package Claims and Hidden Low-Calorie
Sweeteners
Study authors also say that package claims on
sweetened children's drinks and similarities between claims on sweetened and
unsweetened drinks can confuse parents about their nutritional content.
Sugar-sweetened children's fruit drinks typically contained just 5 percent
juice or less, but according to the report, 80 percent of those packages
included images of fruit and 60 percent claimed to have "less" or
"low" sugar or "no high fructose corn syrup." Children's
drinks with and without added sweeteners also had similar package sizes and
types, flavor names, use of fruit imagery, and front-of-package claims for
products.
In addition, low-calorie sweeteners, such as sucralose
and stevia, were found in 74 percent of children's sweetened drinks, including
drinks that also contained added sugars, but there was no mention of
low-calorie sweeteners on the front of packages.
"You shouldn't have to be a nutritionist to
figure out whether or not a product is healthy for your child," said Maria
Romo-Palafox, PhD, RD, study author and assistant professor of Nutrition and
Dietetics at Saint Louis University.
"The fronts of the packages make children's
drinks look healthy, but there's no way to know which ones have added sugars or
low-calorie sweeteners reading the front. You have to read the nutrition facts
panel on the back and you have to know the names of low-calorie sweeteners, such
as acesulfame potassium and sucralose, to realize they are in the
product," she added.
This report follows a consensus statement released in
September by health and nutrition experts that recommended that children under
age 5 should not consume any drinks with added sugars or low-calorie
sweeteners, and that they should consume limited amounts of 100 percent juice.
Other Key Findings
Positive Outcomes
Beverage manufacturers made some progress in
developing and advertising healthier drinks for children.
•More companies sold unsweetened juice-water blends,
which are healthier than sweetened children's drinks and contain only juice and
water. The majority contain less than 50 calories in one box or pouch.
•With the exception of one sugar-sweetened children's
fruit drink, licensed characters only appeared on children's drinks without
added sweeteners (primarily 100 percent juice) -- a significant improvement
compared to 2014.
•Kraft Heinz was the only company to advertise
sugar-sweetened drinks directly to children on children's TV, including Kool
Aid Jammers and Capri Sun Roarin' Waters.
Opportunities for Improvement
However, companies continued to extensively promote
sweetened children's drinks, and many children's drinks were high in sugar
despite healthy-sounding claims.
•Children ages 2 to 11 saw more than twice as many TV
ads for children's sweetened drinks than for children's drinks without added
sweeteners.
•One-third of all children's fruit drinks contained 16
grams or more of sugar per serving -- equivalent to 4 teaspoons, which is more
than half of the maximum amount of added sugars experts recommend for children
per day.
•Of the 100 percent juice children's drinks studied,
only 4 of 13 came in appropriate sized boxes or pouches for a toddler (age 1 to
3 years). Some contained more than 6 ounces of juice, which is the maximum
recommended daily amount for preschoolers (age 4 to 6 years).
Report recommendations include:
•Beverage manufacturers should clearly indicate that
products contain added sugars and/or low-calorie sweeteners and the percent
juice content on the front of children's drink packages.
•The Children's Food and Beverage Advertising
Initiative (CFBAI) -- the voluntary, industry self-regulatory program -- should
establish nutrition standards that conform with health expert recommendations.
Specifically, drinks with added sugars and/or low-calorie sweeteners should not
be advertised directly to children.
•The U.S. Food and Drug Administration could require
that products with nutrition-related claims on packages meet minimum nutrition
standards and prohibit the use of fruit and vegetable images on drink product
packages that contain little or no juice.
•State and local taxes on sugary drinks should include
children's fruit drinks and flavored waters to raise the price and discourage
purchases.
Story Source:
Materials provided by UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy
and Obesity. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.