Two years after Coca-Cola South Africa voluntarily pledged to fight high rates of childhood obesity by removing sugary drinks and their advertisements from primary schools in Gauteng province, 31 percent of school tuck-shops were still advertising it and 54 percent were still selling sugary soft drinks.
Self-regulation by drink manufacturers who commit to stop marketing their product to certain sectors of society has no public health benefit. Worse, these voluntary commitments are often prompted by government efforts to regulate unhealthy food and substituted for more effective government policy and legislation.
A plethora of evidence now shows that consuming sugary drinks, including soft drinks and fruit juices, can lead to obesity and put people at risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and, ultimately, lead to premature death.
