The Importance of the Soda Warning Label Bill for the Health of the Younger Generation - Essay Example

Public Health Policy Analysis The paper reviews the SB 1000, which was introduced by Senator Monning in the senate. The aim of the bill is to make a law that will direct manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers to label all sugar sweetened beverages sold in California. The aim is increase on awareness on the negative health effects of sugar sweetened beverages. Consequently, the rate of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay will reduce. The bill has many promoters and people who oppose it. The recommendation is for the senate to consult industry players to make the bill effective. Keywords: sugar sweetened beverages, diabetes, bill, obesity CURRENT BILL STATUS MEASURE : S.B. No. 1000 AUTHOR(S) : Monning (Coauthors: Senators DeSaulnier, Leno, Mitchell, and Steinberg) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano and Williams). TOPIC : Public health: sugar-sweetened beverages: safety warnings. HOUSE LOCATION : SEN +LAST AMENDED DATE: 03/27/2014 TYPE OF BILL: Active Non-Urgency Non-Appropriations Majority Vote Required State-Mandated Local Program Fiscal Non-Tax Levy LAST HIST. ACT. DATE: 04/28/2014 LAST HIST. ACTION : Placed on APPR. suspense file. COMM. LOCATION : SEN APPROPRIATIONS TITLE : An act to add Article 15 (commencing with Section 111224) to Chapter 5 of Part 5 of Division 104 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health. Public Health Policy Analysis Public health is the general health of the population, which is mostly controlled and influenced by state institutions (Turnock, 2012). An effective public health system is equivalent to a healthy nation. Therefore, many governments work towards reducing, controlling and preventing factors that impact negatively on the status of public health. The paper takes time to review the ‘Soda Warning Label Bill’ and its final implications on public health (Siegel & Donner, 2004). The bill focuses on reducing the number of obesity and diabetes cases among kids and adults. Obesity and diabetes affects so many people in the state of California. The ‘Soda Warning Label Bill’ is among the latest bills that seek to improve the state of public health care in California. Overview the Health Problem The amount of sugar sweetened beverages consumed by Americans is staggering. In fact, these beverages act as the primary source of sugar in the diet of countless Americans. The period between 1977 and 2001 saw Americans increase the amount of sugar obtained from sweetened sugar beverages (California Public Health Advocacy, 2006). Despite the fact that consumption of these beverages has lately decreased, an average American still consumes 150 calories of these beverages on a daily basis. This translates to 45 gallons of these sweetened beverages in a single year. In a single day, it is estimated that 77% of young adults and 66% of children consume a minimum of one sugar sweetened beverage. Furthermore, approximately 10% of calories consumed by teenagers come from sugar sweetened beverages. These numbers show that sugar sweetened beverage forms an important part of diet of all people in California. The food that one consumes has a huge bearing on one’s health. It does not matter whether one realizes this or not. According to these statistics, it is easy to understand sugar sweetened beverages contribute to the increase in obesity, tooth decay and diabetes in the United States of America. These chronic diseases serve to drive up the cost of public health in California and the United States as a whole. The cost of public health has been driven up by an increase in the number of people suffering from tooth decay, obesity and diabetes. Research has shown that there is a direct connection between consumption of sugary drinks and increase in the cases of obesity, tooth decay and diabetes. The whole of America is groaning under the burden brought by obesity, tooth decay and diabetes. Diabetes is a health complication that develops more often in obese people. Obesity and diabetes affects the whole of United States and not only California. In fact, the state has taken measures like increasing supply of healthy foods in school to reduce the rate of childhood obesity. However, it is clear that the rates would go much lower if consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is reduced. The relationship between tooth decay is caused when sugar reacts with bacteria to form an acid that corrodes tooth enamel. Many professionals and researchers feel that a label warning would go a long way in reducing childhood obesity, adult obesity, tooth decay and diabetes. First, it is important to note that two out of every three children in the United States, suffers from overweight or obesity. The whole nation spends approximately $190 billion dollars to treat obesity related complications in a single year (California Center for Public Health Advocacy, 2006). According to research, the rise in consumption of sugar sweetened drinks has contributed largely to the problem of obesity, which has led to many complications like heart diseases. Currently, 25% of adults living in California are obese. The main obesity related complications are diabetes and hypertension. In 2012, the adult obesity rate in California was standing at 9.8% (Bill Information, 2014). California was ranked number twenty four out of fifty one states based on the severity of health complications linked to obesity. The fact that so many people suffer from obesity implies that the number of complications related to obesity is very high. Therefore, it is true that obesity, diabetes are real health problems in California and the whole of United States of America. Severity of Obesity, Diabetes and Tooth Decay The severity of obesity and diabetes in California is alarming. At the rate at which adult obesity is increasing in Australia, 46 percent of adults will be obese in California by 2030 (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014). Furthermore, 40% of children are obese in California. The obesity epidemic is more severe among communities of color and people in the low income bracket. The amount of money spent to provide medical care for obese people is higher than the money spent on normal people. Half of the costs used to treat these people is met through Medicaid and Medicare. The state of California spends approximately $52 billion every year to meet the cost of obesity, overweight and physical inactivity (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014). There is enough scientific evidence that links increased consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, with the increase in obesity, diabetes and tooth decay (Malik, Popkin, Bray, Despres & Frank, 2010). Tooth decay is, also, costing the state of California millions to treat and prevent. The California Dental Association spends a lot of money to combat tooth decay. In fact, this organization has been advocating for addition of fluoride in drinking water. This is because fluoride helps in preventing the risks associated with tooth decay. However, this progress seems useless given that sugar sweetened beverages are, largely, consumed in California. In effect, it is the responsibility of the state of California to push for labelling of these drinks. This is because it would help in reducing the amount of sugar sweetened beverages consumed in California on a daily basis. The American nation has done a lot of work to recover from the tooth decay epidemic, which belongs to the past (Regal Dentistry, 2014). Therefore, it is unfortunate the increasing consumption of sugar sweetened beverages will take the country to this past. The assumption in this case is that labelling will help some avoid consuming too sugar sweetened beverages. Tooth decay is a real problem in the state of California today. Overview of the Bill and Stakeholders The bill was introduced by Senator Monning and co-authored by Senators Leno, Desaulnier, Steingberg and Mitchell. According to the Bill, the label of any sugar sweetened drink should read, “STATE OF CALIFORNIA STATE OF WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugars contributes to obesity, tooth decay and diabetes (Bill Information, 2014). The bill targets beverages with added sweeteners and contain 75 calories in 12 ounces of that beverage. The main purpose of the bill is to introduce the Sugar Sweetened Beverages Safety Act, which directs anybody selling sugar sweetened beverage to put a safety warning on the packaging material. In addition, the bill directs that anybody who legally controls premises with vending machines and/or beverage dispensing machine, or any place that a sugar sweetened beverage is sold in unsealed containers must place safety warning labels in different locations including the vending machine (Bill Information, 2014). The bill directs anyone who responsible for distributing, selling or retailing sugar sweetened beverages to maintain documents showing the purchase, invoices, orders to help in determining the number of beverages sold for a period of up to two years. According to the bill, anybody who violates the provisions will pay between $50 and $500, which will be used to enforce the provisions of bill throughout the state. The bill is expected to take effect on July 1 2015. The main stakeholders in the proposed is the California Department of Public Health (will be charged to effect the bill), food beverage companies, beverage drinks retailers, wholesalers, consumers and organizations advocating for any issues meant to improve the state of public health. According to Senator Monning, there is need to inform Californians of all the harm that comes with sugar sweetened beverage consumption. The bill affects the beverage industry because the manufacturers will be expected to add a safety warning in all their packages. In addition, it affects retailers and wholesalers because the bill would require them to keep records of all sugar sweetened beverage sold for a maximum two years. Record adds costs to the overall business. Therefore, the bill is bound to add costs to the manufacturers and retailers. It is, also, likely to reduce the amount of profit that sugar sweetened beverage industry is, currently, making. The major stakeholder in this bill is the consumer. The bill is intended to inform the consumer of the dangers associated with sugar sweetened beverages. Promises/Expected Outcomes The main promoters include a section of senators, California Center for Public Health Advocacy, California Medical Association, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, California Black Health Network and Food Policy Advocates. The Latino Coalition for a Healthy California and California Black Health Network support the bill because the communities of color are the ones largely affected by the obesity epidemic. According to the promoters, the inclusion of the safety warning in sugar sweetened beverages will help in reducing the consumption of these drinks. The promoters claim there is enough scientific evidence that links obesity, tooth decay and diabetes to sugar sweetened beverages. It is, also, true that the state of California is struggling to contain the obesity epidemic, which is claiming many lives through related complications. As a result, it is time for the state to take the initiative to inform the population of the health complications associated with heavy consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. The promoters acknowledge that sugar sweetened beverages are not the sole cause of obesity, tooth decay and diabetes. However, they believe that since statistics show that consumption of sugar sweetened beverages is very high among adults, adolescents and children, it is one of the major contributors to the increase of obesity in the nation. It is the right of every citizen to be informed of anything that affects their health negatively. Dr. Henry Goldstein, from California Center for Public Health Advocacy, asserts that a large amount of research has shown that sugar sweetened beverages cause tooth decay, obesity and diabetes. These thoughts are echoed by Dr. Ashby Wolfe, who works with California Medical Association. Most of the promoters are lobbying individuals to push their senators to vote for the bill. The California Center for Public Health Advocacy is using their website to garner additional support for the bill. The State Department is mandated to make sure public health is maintained. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the government to inform the population of this link. The belief among the promoters is that this information will help consumers to decide on the best course of action. The bill is an impetus to drive the citizens of California to make healthy choices. It can possibly make people to reduce the amount of sugar sweetened beverages they consumer in a single day. This serves to explain why the bill is expected to reduce the rate at which the obesity epidemic is affecting the state of California. Problems The main groups opposing the bill include the American Beverage Association, California Manufacturers and Technology Association and the Asian Business Association. According to the California Manufacturers and Technology Association, obesity is caused by a number of life choices, which entails the diet and a number of lifestyle choices like exercise. In addition, the association asserts that the California Legislature is wasting time and money because the U.S. FDA is already working on ways to change labelling in over 700, 000 products. These products include all types of drinks. Therefore, the state of California is wasting time on this bill. The Asian Business Association, also, believes the bill will have no significant effect on the reduction of obesity in the state of California (Huang, 2014). Instead, the bill will increase the cost of doing business in relation to sugar sweetened beverages. The bill will expose many restaurants, cafes and retail suits to expensive civil suits. The American Beverage Association has been opposing the move to increase tax on sugar sweetened beverages. The groups opposing the bill believe that the obesity epidemic can be handled through thorough public health education in schools and business holdings. The introduction of safety warning labels will not affect the amount of beverages consumed by many Californians. At this point, the groups have made public statements to announce their position on the bill. Most of these groups are waiting to see what will happen because the bill has already passed the Senate Health Committee. Some companies in the food beverage industry have supported to research to show the sugar sweetened beverages are not the sole cause of obesity (Bes-Rastrollo, Schulze, Ruiz-Canela M & Martinez-Gonzalez, 2013). The results from these research have shown that obesity is caused by a cluster of factors. Therefore, focusing on one factor will not solve the problem of obesity epidemic in California and the United States as a whole. Unintended Consequences The passage of the bill would come with many benefits to the general public health. However, it is necessary to acknowledge that the passage of the bill could lead to some unanticipated outcomes. First, there is no guarantee that many Californians would reduce their consumption of sugar sweetened beverages just because of the safety warning on the packages. The manufacturers will pass the cost of adding the labelling to the consumers, which will make these drinks expensive. The passage of the bill can lead to creation of cartels to sell sugar sweetened beverages that are not labelled in the black market. As a result, some people might opt for the cheap drinks traded in the black market. It is possible that these drinks might not meet all the safety requirements, which will eventually negatively affect the general state of public health. The harassing of retailers and wholesalers can lead to fall of business, which will increase the unemployment rate and reduce the total revenue. Conclusion and Recommendations In conclusion, the bill intends to inform Californians on their public health safety. This will aid many people in making healthy choices. The passage of the bill will result in some negative consequences. According to the knowledge I possess, I recommend the State to involve all stakeholders in formulating the bill before it is passed to become law. The inclusion of all stakeholders will help in coming up with additional solutions. The addition of safety warning labels will have little affect if the beverage industry continues to advertise heavily. It is very easy to convince teenager with the promise of good feelings and fun. The move to involve the food beverage industry will help the government to reach young people easily. These organizations have mastered the art of reaching many young people through advertisements. They can help the government to come with effective ways to educate the public on the dangers of obesity and the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. References American Beverage Organization (2012, June 19). Beverage Industry Responds to American Medical Association Action on Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://www.ameribev.org/news-media/news-releases-statements/more/280/ Bes-Rastrollo, M, Schulze, M.B., Ruiz-Canela M & Martinez-Gonzalez, M.A. (2013) Financial Conflicts of Interest and Reporting Bias Regarding the Association between Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Weight Gain: A Systematic Review of Systematic Reviews. PLoS Med 10(12): e1001578. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001578 Bill Information. (2014). SB-1000 Public health: sugar-sweetened beverages: safety warnings. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140SB1000 California Manufacturers and Technology Association (2014, April 11). Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Act. Retrieved May 2, 2014, from http://www.cmta.net/page/legupdate-article.php?legupdate_id=921698 California Center for Public Health Advocacy (2009, July 9). The Economic Costs of Overweight, Obesity and Physical Inactivity among California Adults – 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2014, from http://publichealthadvocacy.org/costofobesity.html Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Adult Obesity Facts. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html Huang, D. (2014). Asian Business Association SB 1000. Asian Journal, ned Malik, V.S., Popkin, B.M., Bray, G.A., Despres, J. & Frank B. (2010). 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