Blue Horseshoe 348 Posted May 19, 2023 On 5/16/2023 at 4:30 PM, jonnyutah said: I mean how much more evidence do we need? Michelle Obama lobbied for healthy school meals. Her new nutritional drinks wouldn’t qualify ....Public health advocates have long lauded Michelle Obama for her efforts to make American food healthier — especially for kids. From her perch in the White House, she led efforts to update school nutrition standards, modernize labelling on packaged foods, persuade kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, and increase their consumption of water. She even encouraged the food industry to curb the marketing of unhealthy products to children....Now a co-founder and strategic partner at Plezi Nutrition, a maker of sweetened beverages for kids ages 6 and up.... But Plezi’s first product is a flavored juice drink blend that, under the very standards Obama championed, could not be served in US schools....interviewed 12 independent health professionals and organizations and spoke with Plezi Chairman Sam Kass, as well as with members of the company’s advisory board....Plezi is entering a growing but crowded market. US soft-drink sales, which includes both soda and juice, hit $231 billion in 2022, according to data from Euromonitor, up 19% since 2017. Plezi is categorized as a public benefit corporation, a for-profit entity that also seeks to provide a specified social good. ....Under the Obama-era school-meal regulations currently under review, US elementary and middle schools may only serve water, milk, or 100% fruit or vegetable juice with no added sweeteners (the regulations do permit schools to dilute juices with water) — and none of Plezi’s four current flavors meet these criteria....Several of the health professionals characterized the Plezi drinks as an ultra-processed food, or one made largely from extracts of other foods or artificial additives. Numerous medical studies point to overconsumption of these kinds of foods as potential drivers of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, even death. ...Jerold Mande, an adjunct professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health....said the former first lady ....“she has been ill-served by advisers who convinced her to start by targeting 6- to 12-year-olds with a flashy, ultra-processed beverage that may not be any healthier than diet soda....[To] label Plezi an ‘ultra-processed food,’ is at best cynical if not intellectually dishonest.” ...Yet more than half of the experts who spoke ....said research on the impact of the sweeteners on the health of children is extremely limited. Several of the experts said parents should limit their intake. On Monday, the World Health Organization published a report advising against the use of non-sugar sweeteners to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable disease....Kass also said that the the school-meal regulations, which are under review, could change.... https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/05/17/michelle-obama-lobbied-for-healthy-school-meals-her-new-drinks-wouldnt-qualify/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
