Much naivety in the sugar war
IT WAS never going to be an easy fit; this public campaign by health officials to aggressively champion a reduction in excessive consumption of sugary drinks, and the need of drinks manufacturers of all sizes to maintain viability in the sales of their products.
It is accepted that sugar is the most addictive substance there is, and sodas, fruit mixes, and even bag juice, sold at school gates would be obviously targeted as contributing to lifestyle diseases. Places like the Heart Foundation of Jamaica would be conveying the information that constant and excessive ingestion of sugary drinks is a contributory factor in heart disease and other health conditions. And, of course, the health ministry would be fully on board.
To me, it was a bit naive on the part of Health Minister Dr Chris Tufton, when he said in response to court action by the Wisynco Group to seek an injunction on Heart Foundation’s ads that the legal move was ‘very unfortunate’.
Let me ask Dr Tufton this: were the roles switched and he was involved in the drinks manufacturing and distribution business, would he not be responding in similar fashion to Wisynco? Jamaican taste has long been wedded to the brands of the big international soda manufacturers and wellestablished local drinks. Plus, there is a significant market in box juices, many of which claim fruit purity but have in common significant sugar content. Add to that the bag juice market at the base, and any sensible person could tell that the anti-sugar faction would have a fight on its hand.
Who is going to take a saleable message to the hundreds of bag juice manufacturers that have sprouted in the last decade or so? When the van drives up by a small shop on the school route and two packets containing dozens of bag juice (flavoured, coloured, sugared water) are delivered, who will be the brave one selling the message that these drinks, taken in excess, are dangerous?
FIRST CHOICE
The shopkeeper will tell you that the bag juice helps to sell other products. The man with the van will tell you that it is his sole means of earning money for his family. Even if we fully accept that an excess of anything, including sugar, is bad for one’s health, in a tropical country still embarrassingly dotted with many pockets of poverty, cheap sugary drinks will always be first choice as a thirst quencher and addition to a meal, on the road, at the workplace and in school.
The main question is, how must this culture change, gaining global
traction, be approached? It’s going to be very difficult but policymakers would have to be extremely naive to believe it can happen outside of significant economic growth. As much as Jamaica is tropical and there is no acute shortage of fruits, an orange at $40 or $50 will never compete with a bag juice at $20.
When the economic prospects of the huge numbers of those households at the bottom of the society advances and there is also more than an uptick in educational levels, residents will be more aware of preventative health and will also have more funds to channel to consuming more fruits and less sugary drinks.
I can quite understand the motives of the Heart Foundation, although I would not have advised that entity to name specific brands of products. Either name all, right across the board, or name none at all. I can also quite appreciate that Minister Tufton needs a breather even as he is still in the midst of trying to find the best solution to Cornwall Regional Hospital.
No quick fix is available.