Generation healthy: alcoholic seltzer craze sweeps US

Yahoo – AFP, Peter HUTCHISON, September 15, 2019

Cartons of White Claw, Truly and Bon & Viv spiked seltzer are on display at the
Round The Clock Deli in New York -- the alcoholic beverage is all the rage
in the United States (AFP Photo/TIMOTHY A. CLARY)

New York (AFP) - Health-conscious American millennials have found their drink of choice: alcoholic carbonated water that is lower in calories and carbs than beer and wine.

A hard seltzer craze is sweeping the United States as Generations Y and Z pursue healthier lifestyles, influenced by viral trends on Instagram and YouTube.

US sales of the bubbly booze, also called spiked seltzer, have soared almost 200 percent this year compared to 2018, according to research firm Nielsen.

"It has replaced other canned alcoholic drinks for me," says Hannah Stempler, a 25-year-old living and working in New York.

Stempler drinks White Claw, the brand at the forefront of America's beverage fixation this summer.

The company said sales were up over 265 percent on-year at the beginning of September and that it holds 61 percent of market share.

Truly, another brand, saw sales spike 163 percent in Q2, according to Macquarie market research.

From beaches and parks to house parties and boat trips, youngsters were seen drinking White Claw across the Big Apple and other major cities.

Panic even struck this month when shopkeepers and retailers reported shortages and the manufacturer said it was working overtime to keep up with demand.

Stempler, who works in television, told AFP that one of the reasons she drinks it is because she is "health-conscious."

A 12-ounce can of White Claw contains 100 calories and a maximum two grams of carbs. It is also gluten-free.

An average beer, in comparison, usually packs 140 calories and five times the number of carbohydrates.

Beer slowdown

The hard seltzer has five percent alcohol, which comes from fermented sugars. That equals the strength of Budweiser but is considerably less than the 12 percent commonly found in wine.

Alcoholic sparkling water comes in several flavors, including mango and cherry, appealing to customers seeking convenient, ready-to-drink cocktails on the go.

Sanjiv Gajiwala, White Claw's senior vice president of marketing, thinks young consumers are turning to hard seltzers because of their moderate alcohol levels and variety of tastes.

"Millennials are consumers that grew up on 10 different flavors of Gatorade and cuisines from around the world. When they come to the legal drinking age, they are looking for more," he told AFP.

White Claw sales have surged every year since it launched in 2016 but seems to have captured the imagination this summer in part thanks to YouTube influencer Trevor Wallace.

A video of him drinking White Claw has been watched more than 2.5 million times in two months. The clip spawned memes and hashtags that went viral on social media.

The trend for hard seltzers, which include malt beverages, is shaking up the US alcoholic drinks industry and fueling a slowdown in overall beer sales, analysts say.

Beer manufacturers are rolling out their own seltzers to try to lure customers away from White Claw and Truly.

Anheuser-Busch, which makes Budweiser, has launched Natural Light Seltzer.

Fad?

Aaron White, of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, is pleased youngsters are mindful of what they drink but warns that fewer calories does not mean less alcohol.

He worries that people may consume more alcohol because fruity seltzers don't taste like traditional booze, and is especially concerned by the Four Loko brand's plans to launch a seltzer with 14 percent alcohol by volume.

"The alcohol is the drug. Everything else is just the way it's delivered," White told AFP.

Other types of drinks have been the subject of similar crazes in the past, notably wine coolers in the 1980s and Zima, a malt beverage that was all the rage in the 90s.

Rob Fink, a 29-year-old living in New York, believes spiked seltzer is here to stay but says it won't usurp beer and other liquor for him.

"There's a time and place for both," he told AFP.

The alcoholic soda industry is worth $550 million and could grow to $2.5 billion by 2021, according to a UBS analyst recently quoted by Business Insider.

Gajiwala notes that White Claw has not even reached six percent of American households yet.

"There is a great opportunity for us to continue to grow," he said.

Amsterdam wants to bring in ‘no junk food zones’ around schools

DutchNews, July 15, 2019

Photo: Depositphotos.com 

Officials in Amsterdam wants to restrict the number of snack bars and fast food joints near schools in an effort to reduce obesity rates among the city’s children. 

A campaign launched in 2012 helped reduced the percentage of too-heavy children in the Dutch capital from 21% to 18% over a three-year period but the decline has since halted. 

Now alderman Simone Kukenheim plans to take further action to improve the health of the city’s school going children. She wants to introduce a ‘healthy belt’ around schools without snack bars to prevent children filling up on chips and sweets during their breaks, the Parool reported at the weekend. 

Kukenheim hopes new zoning legislation which will come into effect in 2021 and which aims to ensure a ‘safe and healthy physical environment’ will help reduce the number of snack bars near schools. ‘We are researching how these new rules can be used to encourage a healthier supply of food,’ the alderman said. 

The city has also recently expanded the number of water fountains in the city to encourage children to ditch fizzy drinks. 

Minister 

The alderman has appealed to health minister Paul Blokhuis, urging him to get tougher on the sugar, salt and fat content in food. She also wants him to clamp down on the way unhealthy food is marketed at children. 

Socio-economic status and cultural background also play a role in childhood obesity and the problem is largely confined to poorer parts of the city and among immigrant communities. 

The 2012 campaign included advising schools to ban fruit juices, and unhealthy treats for at birthday celebrations and introduced a ban on fast food sponsorship of council events involving children. 

Amsterdam already bans cannabis cafes, or coffeeshops, from being within 250 metres of a school.

German MPs show Nutella 'red card' over World Cup giveaway

Yahoo – AFP, Jul 18, 2018

Customers would have to cart home 35 jars of Nutella to gather enough points for a football
printed with the signatures of Germany's World Cup team (AFP Photo/DAMIEN MEYER)

Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - German MPs have blasted a World Cup promotion by Nutella chocolate spread, after they worked out people would have to scoff almost 16 kilos of the sugary treat to earn a football.

"Once again, the food industry has used the football World Cup to market sweets to children," Greens party MP Renate Kuenast told AFP Tuesday as she and other lawmakers complained to Germany's advertising council.

"It's a red card for Ferrero's Nutella," she added, referring to the Italian manufacturer.

Customers would have to cart home 35 jars of Nutella to gather enough points for a football printed with the signatures of Germany's World Cup team.

That adds up to "15.75 kilos (34.7 pounds) of Nutella, nine kilos of sugar, five kilos of fat, 85,000 calories and 97.65 euros ($113.60)" Kuenast and other MPs wrote to the advertising authority.

They further charged that Ferrero had "exploited kids' special trust" in their favourite football stars by printing their photos on collectible cards.

"We have nothing against the product -- if people like it, they should eat it -- but one shouldn't suggest to children that it has something to do with being sporty, active or healthy," the MPs said.

Kuenast and the other lawmakers hope the advertising council, an industry-run body that watches for ethical breaches in advertising, will block the campaign and issue a warning to Ferrero's German division.

Netherlands’ growing problem: 100,000 people are morbidly obese

DutchNews, July 4, 2018

More people than ever in the Netherlands are morbidly obese despite a fall in the overall obesity rate, according to latest official figures. 

Around 100,000 people, or 0.9 per cent of the population, are classed as having the most severe of the three levels of obesity. Overall 14.2% of people are obese, two and a half times the rate at the beginning of the 1980s, the nationalstatistics agency CBS said. 

Despite the increase the Netherlands has one of the lowest levels of obesity in Europe, with only Italy and Romania below the Dutch level of 13% in 2014, the last year for which comparative figures are available. The European Union average is 17%. 

Women are more likely than men to be clinically obese, with 14.7% of women and 12.7% of men having a form of obesity. Obesity is also more prevalent among older people, with almost a fifth of people aged between 65 and 75 classed as obese. Among people under 30 the proportion is three times smaller (6.7%). 

A further 36% of the population is deemed to be overweight but not obese, meaning nearly half of all Dutch people are over the healthy weight limit. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, while anyone with a BMI above 25 is overweight.

Surgeon Eric Hazebroek told the Radio 1 Journaal that although obesity was increasingly recognised as a chronic illness caused by a combination of hereditary and lifestyle factors, more could be done to reduce the problem. 

‘People should be better informed in supermarkets about the amount of sugar in products. Schools and sports club canteens should also pay more attention to this issue,’ he said.

UK rolls out sugar tax in battle against obesity

Yahoo – AFP, April 6, 2018

British children consume "nearly a bathtub of sugary drinks each year on average"
(AFP Photo/Paul ELLIS)

London (AFP) - Britain on Friday joined France, Norway and Mexico in rolling out a sugar tax on soft drinks in an attempt to tackle obesity and tooth decay in children.

Drinks containing five grammes of sugar per 100 ml will face a lower rate of 18 pence ($0.25, 0.21 euros) per litre, whereas those with more than eight grammes per 100 ml will face a rate of 24 pence per litre.

Top-selling brands such as Fanta, Ribena and Lucozade have already cut the sugar content of their products to avoid the tax, but Coca-Cola and Pepsi will both stick with the same recipes, which both contain more than 10 grammes per 100 ml.

"Our teenagers consume nearly a bathtub of sugary drinks each year on average, fuelling a worrying obesity trend," said Public Health Minister Steve Brine.

"The levy is a ground-breaking policy that will help to reduce sugar intake."

The government hopes the tax will raise £240 million ($335 million, 274 million euros) per year, which it will spend on sports facilities and breakfast clubs.

Former finance minister George Osborne, who unveiled the tax policy when in office, believes milkshakes with large quantities of sugar may be targeted next.

"I suspect the sugar tax will start to be extended to things like milk products, which I was nervous of going into in the first instance because I wanted to establish the case for a sugar tax," he told BBC's Newsnight.

Drinks firms agree to stop selling sugary drinks to Dutch high schools

DutchNews, September 6, 2017

Soft drink manufacturers have agreed to stop placing sugary drinks in vending machines and canteens at Dutch high schools from the end of next year as part of ongoing efforts to boost healthy diets among teenagers.

‘We want to help youngsters make a more healthy choice,’ Raymond Gianotten, director of the soft drinks and fruit juice association told RTL Nieuws. 

The decision is part of a Europe-wide agreement made by the industry to end the availability of sugary drinks in schools and also falls under Dutch government efforts to offer healthier food at school canteens, the association said. 

By the end of next year, schools will only sell soft drinks with no or few calories. Light versions of popular fizzy drinks will remain on sale. ‘There is nothing the matter with them,’ Gianotten said. ‘They have no sugar and few calories. You can drink them without consuming too many calories.’ 

Products are classified as ‘light’ if they contain 30% less sugar, fat or carbohydrates than the original product. 

Research by public health institute RIVM in 2016 found that schools had already been replacing unhealthy drinks in vending machines.

Dutch food producers agree to stop adding sugar to jars of vegetables

DutchNews, June 27, 2017

Photo: Despositphotos.com

Food producers have reached agreement with supermarkets to stop putting sugar in jars of summer vegetables from next year, following pressure from consumer groups. 

Jars of sweet corn, peas, carrots and marrowfat peas currently have added sugar but this will stop next year. Producers have also agreed to reduce the salt content of jars of French and runner beans and look into reducing the amount of sugar and salt added to winter veg such as red cabbage. 

The deal covers both branded and own label products. 

Food lobby group Foodwatch published research last year showing sugar was added to 79 out of 170 different jars and tins of vegetables found in Dutch supermarkets, including organic products. 

Absurd

The organisation welcomed the industry change of heart, describing it as ‘absurd’ to add sugar to the most healthy part of a meal. 

The sugar reduction is part of a wider agreement between the food industry and government to reduce the amount of sugar, salt and fat in processed food. 

The agreement is self-regulatory and in April, the public health institute RIVM said not enough had been done to cut back on salt, despite earlier pledges.

Coca-Cola pulls Sprite from ‘health-conscious’ Dutch market

DutchNews, March 10, 2017

Photo: Despositphotos.com

The world’s largest soft drinks company Coca-Cola is pulling its Sprite brand from the Dutch market from next week because of objections that the drink is a ‘sugar bomb’, the Financieele Dagblad said on Friday. 

The US-based company said it regards the Netherlands as ‘the most health-conscious country in the world’. If the withdrawal of traditional Sprite is seen as a success, it could also be dropped in 100 other countries, Coca-Cola Nederland country manager Richard Schlasberg said. 

Sprite will remain available in sugar- and calorie-free versions. Coca-Cola markets 18 brands of its soft drinks in the Netherlands and one-third of the income at its Dongen bottling plant is derived from zero or low calorie drinks. 

The consumption of soft drinks in the Netherlands fell to an average of 91.5 litres per capital in 2015 from 102.6 litres per capita in 2011. Meanwhile sales of bottled water are increasing, the FD said. 

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