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Better than Coke? Choice warns new proposal may sugar-coat sports drinks

Admin

Administrator. Graeme
Staff member
THEY are marketed towards elite athletes, but some sport drinks actually contain almost as much sugar as a can of Coke.

According to the consumer advocate group Choice, sport drinks have no place in the health food aisles of supermarkets, and should be placed alongside soft drinks instead. It says a proposal which would allow sport drinks to carry health claims will ultimately mislead consumers into believing that such drinks are a healthy option, when they are high in sugar.
Choice has also warned the food regulator not to allow the beverage industry to sweet talk it into allowing such a plan to go ahead.
“Sports drinks can help elite athletes but they aren’t designed for everyday use. Yet drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are marketed and sold to everyone,” CHOICE spokesman Tom Godfrey said.
“Most people will receive no health benefit from a bright blue sugar drink. Sports drinks belong on the shelves next to Coke and Lemonade, not in the health food aisle, and the claims on the label need to reflect this.”
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Choice warns that a proposal for sports drinks to carry health claims will mislead consumers. Picture: Choice Source:Supplied



Standards to regulate health claims were introduced last year, to help prevent consumers from being misled.
In order for a product to carry a certain health claim, such as “improves hydration” or “reduces cholesterol”, it must meet strict criteria for metrics such as energy, sugars, sodium and other key nutrients.
A public consultation process run by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is currently considering whether electrolyte drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade should be able to carry those health claims.
If FSANZ answers that question in the affirmative, companies will be able to bypass what Choice calls an important consumer protection test, leaving customers at risk of being duped into thinking they were buying a healthy option.
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South Sydney’s coach cops a bucket of Powerade after watching his team win the NRL grand final. Source: News Corp Australia



Mr Godfrey said the rules, which were introduced last year, were actually designed to stop companies from advertising that unhealthy products, including confectionary, were 99 per cent fat free, for example.
He said research has proved that such health claims create a “halo effect”, where people are led to believe the product is healthier overall.
“People should have the confidence that if a product has a health claim, then it is a healthier product. Creating a loophole for sports drinks is a backwards step,” Mr Godfrey said.
“Sports drinks are high in sugar, salt and kilojoules. A regular 600ml bottle of Gatorade has 36g of sugar; compare this to a standard can of coke, which at 375 ml contains 40g sugar.”
Mr Godfrey added that sports drinks are widely available and are often placed at the point of sale to encourage impulse purchases.
“They’re clearly marketed to a wide audience and it makes no sense to allow health claims that would only apply to a small group of athletes,” he said.
“We are calling on FSANZ to put the consumer first and not to proceed with these changes.”
News.com.au has contacted Pepsico Australia (owners of Gatorade) for comment but were referred onto the Australian Beverages Council.
The council’s CEO Geoff Parker told news.com.au the proposal was simply about bringing Australia into line with what the rest of the world is doing when it comes to sports drinks regulation.
“Sports drinks already have claims around hydration,” he said.
He added that the high levels of sugar in sporting drinks was essential for delivering hydration benefits and electrolytes.
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Gatorade as it is marketed on its website. Source: Supplied



“Sports drinks need to carry a base load of five to seven grams of sugar to deliver the electrolytes to muscles,” he said.
The spokesman refuted claims consumers would be misled by the proposal.
“This is not about easing restrictions or misguiding consumers, in fact it is quite the opposite,” he said.
“This is merely a classification change that ensures the claims made by sports drinks manufacturers are scientifically substantiated.
“Having scientifically substantiated claims clearly stated on the labels we hope will further assist consumers in making sure that particular types of drinks are right for them.
“It’s something the industry is very open about — that these types of sports drinks are absolutely for people who engage in intensive exercise/ These drinks are not suitable for a kids’ swimming carnival, when the eight-year-old only has to swim 25 metres. In most instances, water is absolutely the best drink for them.”
However, a UK investigation in 2012 revealed the drinks may not be as crucial to rehydration and recovery as their manufacturers claim.
The British Medical Journal and a BBC Panorama special found many of the drinks’ alleged benefits weren’t all they were cracked up to be.
 
Yeah if people can't read labels and think for them self on something as simple as this that's their fault.
 
Nonsense, all nonsense and propaganda, sport drinks have excellent nutritional value and health benefits.
If consumed with soft drink and alcohic beverage, can also extend ones cock.
Please Admin, let's not post any unfounded rumours, my bonus is coming up in December.
 
Alot of sports teams will drink Powerade/gatorade during the game for some simple sugars and also due to sponsorship agreements - but most now days will drink Coconut Water.

Of course its all marketing - pretty useless article really - lol....unsure what the point is...
 
Do most actually drink coconut water. I doubt it.

Coconut water is just another marketing gimmick as well.

I remember Ben cousins said he never drank prowerade during a game because it had too much sugar and he was always ripped as but that may have been due to other things as well.
 
It's funny, you'll see a heap of Gatorade and powerade handed out after games. But hardly any of the players actually drink it. They just carry it around to keep sponsors happy. Few mates in the superXV told me this ages ago!!
 
It's funny, you'll see a heap of Gatorade and powerade handed out after games. But hardly any of the players actually drink it. They just carry it around to keep sponsors happy. Few mates in the superXV told me this ages ago!!

I think for actual rehydration about half the sugar in powerade is closer to ideal but it doesn't taste that great so they chuck a lot more in it.
 
I remember trying Gatorade for the first time back in 1978 or 9' it was fully imported and owned by someone else, it came in glass bottles, like milk bottles with a large opening, it didn't taste sweet.

that and chocolate yoohoo.

oh and sustagen, it came in little tins pre-mixed, you had to crack it open with a can opener, shit that stuff was good.
 
When you walk through the Gatorade bottling room, you can taste it.
Not just smell it, the taste stays in your mouth all night without even drinking any, it's very strong, and regardless of flavour produced, the base taste is same for all the flavours.
 
As stupid as it sounds, I've found that Gatorade / Powerade works better than anything else apart from time as a hangover cure.
 
I buy Gaterade in the powder form and mix it to half the strength. I find it helps keep a headache away during a long session.Agree with Baz, love it for a hangover cure.
 
I buy Gaterade in the powder form and mix it to half the strength. I find it helps keep a headache away during a long session.Agree with Baz, love it for a hangover cure.

Did the same on my last ride, mixd it my camelback, even used coconut water as it's the latest trend/fad/theory in rehydration.
Don't thing the coconut water did anything, but I think the Gatorade made have helped, or maybe it just tastes better than water so I just simply drank more.
 
This stuff comes back the the "Donna Hay Thread" that was posted the other day - if people were educated enough to read a f**king label these stupid articles/studies would never come out - consumers could just make their own simple informed choice themselves......
 
You'll never go broke selling a product when the consumer is lazy and stupid.

How much more education do you need apart from an ingredients list and nutritional content label?

Because people are idiots, I suggest a system where every packaged product should carry a little picture of a teaspoon with a number indicating how many teaspoons of sugar, salt and fat it contains.
 
You'll never go broke selling a product when the consumer is lazy and stupid.

How much more education do you need apart from an ingredients list and nutritional content label?

Because people are idiots, I suggest a system where every packaged product should carry a little picture of a teaspoon with a number indicating how many teaspoons of sugar, salt and fat it contains.

A large % of people have no idea how to read a nutritional label and if they do they don't know what is good and what is bad i.e is 50g of sugar bad? is 2g of protein good? etc - this stuff should be taught in school - personally I believe there should be a whole subject on Nutrition and Exercise from years 6-10 - BUT this will never happen - big companies do NOT WANT the consumer knowing what is in the product - as you said they want them lazy and stupid.....
 
A lot of middle aged folk (yes my parents included) can't even read the nutritional panel as the writing is too small. Cbf'ed getting reading glasses out just to read what it says, go by the massive giant marketing letters at the front of the package instead.
 
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