"Dump Soft Drinks"

A few weeks back, Bruce, a reader wrote in about a web site truly dedicated to dumping a huge amount of sugar out of our current diets. It is headed by CSPI, a non-governmental consumer advocacy organization fighting for improvements in diet and health.

Here's a brief summary of some of their suggestions directly from their site:

• Cease marketing of all sugar laden drinks for children under 16 years old.
• Stop selling all sweetened beverages in all public and private schools.
• Advertise the calorie content of all beverages on both the front and outer labels of containers, along with the actual number of servings per bottle. This one gets better, sugary beverages should also include consumer alerts right on the bottle, such as "High sugar - drink only occasionally" or "For occasional consumption. Drink water to quench thirst."  I would also suggest that the "sugar-free or diet" beverages list some of their potential dangers as well, but I doubt if that will happen.
• Increase the promotion of new lower-sugar products to adults and sell them in smaller portions.
• Many won't like this one but it might help people think before they purchase these drinks. Pay a small sales tax that would be returned to consumers through the provision of physical activity and nutrition education programs, and through subsidies that reduce the costs of fruits and vegetables.

Readers what do you think? Will these strategies make people think more about what they are putting into their bodies?