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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
