Kate Hawkesby: Nothing wrong with banning fizzy drinks from schools
Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · Newstalk ZB
April 7, 20222m 51s
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Show Notes
I’m not averse to banning fizzy drinks in schools. I know many schools have already done it, some schools even have a water-only policy for drink bottles, and that all happened without too much pushback.
There was, a few years ago, a big push to clear out tuck shops of all junk food too. Remember in the bad old days when we could get donuts, pies, Chelsea buns with icing, hot chips? Those days were brought to a grinding halt off the back of the good food movement and around the same time Jamie Oliver was busy trying to clean up school lunches in the UK. The sanitising of tuck shop food got more push back than the drinks did, but kids seem to have adapted and like all things, over time it becomes all they know.
Younger generations will never know their school tuck shop used to serve sugar-laden carbs dripping in icing, or deep-fried treats. So I’m not sure what the holdup is with fizzy drinks. I know there’s the ‘don’t demonise food’ brigade, and the “don't tell us what to do” brigade, (I'm in that brigade actually to be honest) but on this, I'd have to agree that young children are not particularly good at choosing the healthy option.
We know from taking them to the supermarket that if given half a chance, they’ll fill the trolley with junk food before they pick up a broccoli. So it makes sense, in this case, to just take the choice away from them. Yes, you could argue it’s pointless if the Dairy next to school is still selling Fanta, they’re just going to buy that on the way home anyway, but if you’ve removed at least one other avenue for them to buy it, consume it, or think about it, then you may well be able to contribute to healthier habits being formed. And that’s surely all it is.
If every time you open the fridge the only option is Coke, then that’s all you know, you may not even know it’s a bad thing. But if it’s taken out of schools – for a reason, and that is – it’s bad for you and it will rot your teeth, then you’re going to think twice about it, you’ll at the very least be more educated about your choices.
So the proposal’s out for public consultation and if it passes it’ll mean primary schools will have to ban the fizz, and all sugary drinks, leaving only water and milk as options. And for primary school-aged kids I’m not sure what’s wrong with that? It’ll be harder on teachers of course, once something gets demonized kids are really quick to call you out on it.
A cheeky Coke Zero in the staffroom is not going to get past an eagle-eyed 9 year old ready to tell on you. I remember when plastic wrap got demonized by schools and we all had to invest in recyclable containers or paper bags for school lunches. God help you if you sent your child to school with anything wrapped in Glad wrap. And it turned out the children were the biggest policers of all.
Once they were told it was bad, we never heard the end of it. The minute one of our kids saw Glad wrap on the bench at home, we’d get a lecture on how we were killing the planet. So I do sympathize with those who’ll be on the receiving end of another round of virtuous youngsters telling us how bad we are.
And that'll be the most unbearable part of it, to be honest, being lectured by sanctimonious seven-year-olds.
But at least they won’t be getting rotten teeth.
There was, a few years ago, a big push to clear out tuck shops of all junk food too. Remember in the bad old days when we could get donuts, pies, Chelsea buns with icing, hot chips? Those days were brought to a grinding halt off the back of the good food movement and around the same time Jamie Oliver was busy trying to clean up school lunches in the UK. The sanitising of tuck shop food got more push back than the drinks did, but kids seem to have adapted and like all things, over time it becomes all they know.
Younger generations will never know their school tuck shop used to serve sugar-laden carbs dripping in icing, or deep-fried treats. So I’m not sure what the holdup is with fizzy drinks. I know there’s the ‘don’t demonise food’ brigade, and the “don't tell us what to do” brigade, (I'm in that brigade actually to be honest) but on this, I'd have to agree that young children are not particularly good at choosing the healthy option.
We know from taking them to the supermarket that if given half a chance, they’ll fill the trolley with junk food before they pick up a broccoli. So it makes sense, in this case, to just take the choice away from them. Yes, you could argue it’s pointless if the Dairy next to school is still selling Fanta, they’re just going to buy that on the way home anyway, but if you’ve removed at least one other avenue for them to buy it, consume it, or think about it, then you may well be able to contribute to healthier habits being formed. And that’s surely all it is.
If every time you open the fridge the only option is Coke, then that’s all you know, you may not even know it’s a bad thing. But if it’s taken out of schools – for a reason, and that is – it’s bad for you and it will rot your teeth, then you’re going to think twice about it, you’ll at the very least be more educated about your choices.
So the proposal’s out for public consultation and if it passes it’ll mean primary schools will have to ban the fizz, and all sugary drinks, leaving only water and milk as options. And for primary school-aged kids I’m not sure what’s wrong with that? It’ll be harder on teachers of course, once something gets demonized kids are really quick to call you out on it.
A cheeky Coke Zero in the staffroom is not going to get past an eagle-eyed 9 year old ready to tell on you. I remember when plastic wrap got demonized by schools and we all had to invest in recyclable containers or paper bags for school lunches. God help you if you sent your child to school with anything wrapped in Glad wrap. And it turned out the children were the biggest policers of all.
Once they were told it was bad, we never heard the end of it. The minute one of our kids saw Glad wrap on the bench at home, we’d get a lecture on how we were killing the planet. So I do sympathize with those who’ll be on the receiving end of another round of virtuous youngsters telling us how bad we are.
And that'll be the most unbearable part of it, to be honest, being lectured by sanctimonious seven-year-olds.
But at least they won’t be getting rotten teeth.
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