Council drops sugary drinks
Auckland Council is taking the battle against obesity and type 2 diabetes out to the community.
It announced on Wednesday it is dropping sugar-sweetened drinks from vending machines at council-run leisure centres, as part of the Healthy Families NZ initiative.
The council says it has made the decision to eliminate 340kg of refined sugar a year - equal to 85,000 sugar cubes which when stacked would stand the height of four and half Sky Towers.
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman welcomed the council’s commitment.
‘‘One in three of our adults are overweight and one in 10 of our kids and unless we get on top of this it’s really going to impact on the health in our communities.’’
Healthy Families Manukau, Manurewa-Papakura manager Ben Youdan says activating local and industry leadership is the key to addressing sugar-related health issues. ‘‘Auckland Council is a lead partner in our local Healthy Families Manukau, ManurewaPapakura movement. This is a fantastic demonstration of their strong commitment to drive transformative changes that will positively affect the health of our communities.’’
The removal of sugarsweetened drinks will roll out between July and October this year, with all centres offering healthier choices in time for the peak summer season.