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Margot Sanger-Katz reports in the NYT that soda consumption is experiencing a serious and sustained decline as sales of full-calorie soda in the United States have plummeted by more than 25 percent over the past twenty years. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they are actively trying to avoid the drinks that have been a mainstay of American culture and bottled water is now on track to overtake soda as the largest beverage category in two years. The changing patterns of soda drinking appear to come thanks, in part, to a loud campaign to eradicate sodas. School cafeterias and vending machines no longer contain regular sodas. Many workplaces and government offices have similarly prohibited their sale.
For many public health advocates, soda has become the new tobacco — a toxic product to be banned, taxed and stigmatized. "There will always be soda, but I think the era of it being acceptable for kids to drink soda all day long is passing, slowly," says Marion Nestle. "In some socioeconomic groups, it's over." Soda represents nearly 25% of the U.S. beverage market and its massive scale have guaranteed profit margins for decades. Historically, beverage preferences are set in adolescence, the first time that most people begin choosing and buying a favorite brand. But the declines in soda drinking appear to be sharpest among young Americans. "Kids these days are growing up with all of these other options, and there are some parents who say, 'I really want my kids to drink juice or a bottled water,' " says Gary A. Hemphill. "If kids grow up without carbonated soft drinks, the likelihood that they are going to grow up and, when they are 35, start drinking is very low."
(Score: 2) by VLM on Sunday October 04 2015, @04:37PM
Many workplaces ... have similarly prohibited their sale.
Never heard of such a thing. Maybe a typo? I'm familiar with schools banning soda machines usually some anti-capitalist rant about corruption and so on. And I'm sure the school district employees fall under the workplaces that have banned soda list. Also excluding workplaces that simply don't have vending machines. But I'm interested specifically in any private companies banning soda, I've never heard of such a thing. I would assume they ban sugar in coffee or honey in tea.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 04 2015, @04:51PM
Agreed. I don't doubt that there is a company here and there who have done it in order to set or shape their image, or perhaps small companies run by people who feel very strongly about it, but I would like to hear of any significant number of private companies that have done this. First off, it would have to be a company that is large enough to support having vending machines.
It is true, at least here on the East Coast, to see school districts and local governments do this. I also don't have any issue with it. I don't buy into the "nanny State" criers that there is somehow some inherent right to have sugary drinks available in vending machines, or to have vending machines at all. If a State House or school system doesn't want them in vending machines on their properties, I don't see what the issue is. Personally, I don't see why a school should have vending machines in the first place. When it is done with a little too much exuberance, then it gets silly, such as when the ban is too widely written to cover things like vendors set up at events like a County Fair.
(Score: 2) by WildWombat on Sunday October 04 2015, @06:15PM
Kaiser Permanente has no sugary sodas in their vending machines.
(Score: 1) by timbojones on Sunday October 04 2015, @05:43PM
They're not banning soda; they're prohibiting its sale, by e.g. getting rid of their vending machines.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 04 2015, @06:34PM
I've seen schools ban this, such as mine 20 years ago, because it was unhealthy.
Maybe they were not yet touched by interest groups yet.
They did have a few working vending machines in the area where after-school sports were, the refreshment area I guess, sold with other concession stand items.
As a student, I had the option of water and a variety of fruit flavored drinks that had vitamin fortified contents.
It was never perceived as such as an anti-capitalistic effort--but I have heard of there being tampon machines in some schools that advertise various products besides the content of the tampon machines. I guess it is hard to gloriously promote the use of such things in a consumery trendy fashion, unlike nicotine and caffiene.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 05 2015, @12:45AM
God I am going to sound old here.
But in my day they had vending machines which were turned off during school hours. However, you were not allowed to drink it in the halls, at lunch, or in class, or be seen carrying it around. They were basically there for game days. There was 0 reason to get one. The previous schools I went to hand no vending machines. If you were caught with a soda they confiscated it. Go back to that if you feel it is 'killing our kids'. This is not that difficult. When I read about kids getting soda at lunch. I thought 'lucky bastards'. I got either water or milk and an optional chocolate milk on Friday if I did not have any demerits.