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LA schools are poised to ban lucrative soft drink deals that make them money for sports equipment after an increase in obesity in pupils, writes Duncan Campbell

Tuesday August 27, 2002

Five years ago, a school district in Colorado Springs, short of money as are most state schools throughout the world, did a deal with Coca-Cola for $11m (£7.21m) over 10 years - the soft drink manufacturer became the exclusive supplier of beverages to the schools in the area.
Soon similar deals were being struck across the country with Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dr Pepper, all vying for this profitable market. At present, more than half the schools in the US have exclusive deals with soft drink companies.

This week the Los Angeles school district, the second largest in the country - with a responsibility for 750,000 students - is about to call a halt. They are poised to ban carbonated soft drink sales at all of their 677 establishments during school hours. What has motivated the action is research that indicated that almost half of the children in the poorest schools in the area are now either obese or overweight.

One study indicates that children of high school age receive 11% of their calories through soft drinks alone. Eric Schlosser, in his book Fast Food Nation, spells out the reasons why children represent such an important market for soft drink companies. The adult market has become stagnant, with the average American drinking 56 gallons every year - about 600 cans per person. Schools, desperate for money to pay for sports activities, offer the perfect marketing opportunity.

"A significant number of teenage boys are now drinking five or more cans of soda a day," writes Schlosser. "Each can contains the equivalent of about 10 teaspoons of sugar."

While 20 years ago teenage boys drank twice as much milk, as soda, now the reverse is true. And about a fifth of the country's one-and two-year-olds now drinks Coke, Pepsi or Dr Pepper.

Those opposed to the ban in LA schools say that it will cut off vital funds for sports activities that the schools will not easily be able to find elsewhere. They also suggest that high school students will drift off campus if they are unable to find their favourite drinks close at hand.

Those supporting the ban say that it is illogical to fund healthy sports activities with drinks that may make the children unhealthy in the first place. And they argue that other, healthier drinks can replace the ousted beverages.

LA is not the first district to take such action. Oakland, to the north, initiated a ban last year but the number of students there, 55,000, is much smaller. Texas bans junk food, including soft canned drinks, at their schools during lunchtimes. But the fact that such a large and powerful school district is about to take such a step is bound to make waves across the country. That is, if you can make waves with bubbles.