InfoSlug Media Assassination: Target #7: American Beverage Association

This article coincides with Podcast #4: Mexican Soda Cartel. You can listen to this podcast at infoslugpodcast.mevio.com

Airing on CNN and other American media networks, this commercial funded by the American Beverage Association alludes to a program which began in 2006, known as the School Beverage Guidelines. Let's deconstruct this, shall we?

First, we're shown attractive young people in school with a cool catchy tune, And the commercial starts off with the capitalist mantra: Competition. Because we compete, we do better.

The next message is the interesting part. "But Sometimes, even rivals realize they share a common goal." They show you three competing soft drink vendors walking, lock-step, with cases of diet cola on their carts. Surprisingly, Dr Pepper/Snapple was included in this propaganda piece, which is unusual - Normally, media companies try to use the tribal team mentality to split us up with Left Right, Liberal Conservative, Pro life or Pro Choice, Pepsi or Coke. The point of these smiling sales representatives is to show you that all the companies are on board. The science is settled, the only thing that matters is caloric intake.

America's beverage companies have removed full-calorie soft drinks from schools. Notice the emphasis on full-calorie.

"Together with schools, we're (American Beverage Association) helping kids make more balanced choices, Every day."

Learn more at Ameribev.org

I decided to learn more by visiting their website. Founded in 1919 as the American Bottlers of Carbonated Beverages, this government-funded panel of businesses in the soft drink market has been working together for years and years in order to agree on certain standards even though these businesses compete. Quoth the Ameribev,

ABA provides a neutral forum in which members convene to discuss common issues while maintaining their tradition of spirited competition in the American marketplace. The Association also serves as liaison between the industry, government and the public, and provides a unified voice in legislative and regulatory matters.

Essentially, these are the guys who decide how many liters of soda actually go into a can or bottle of pop. They decide things like how much sugar is okay to use, what the caloric and nutritional goals of these drinks should be, and which direction all the companies should go in. Well, as it turns out, they're also involved with the education system through their initiative, the School Beverage Guideline. Quoth the Ameribev,

On May 3, 2006, we announced that we were working with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association under the leadership of President Clinton and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, to provide School Beverage Guidelines that limit the number of calories available in beverages by providing students with even more low-calorie, nutritious, smaller-portion choices.

Now, that's a red flag right there. If you haven't done any research into the William J. Clinton foundation, I suggest you do so. Their most recent undertaking was helping to colonize Haiti after the recent earthquake. Notice once again the demonization of calories - the energy which makes our bodies run. Not all of this initiative is bad, and to some extent I can see the benefits to restricting what foods and drink can be sold in schools, it is true that America and to a lesser extent the rest of the world has a problem with obesity. Additionally, this program does claim to promote more physical activity, physical education and active lifestyles. That all looks good on paper, but that doesn't change the fact that this is yet another incremental step towards expansing Codex Alimentarius, allowing governments near and far to slowly influence what we can, and cannot eat.

Sorry for the spam, but we most quote another portion of their Q&A:

Why do the guidelines remove regular soft drinks from schools?

We believe soft drinks are appropriate for children and adults and, like all our beverages, can be part of a balanced, healthy lifestyle when consumed in moderation. It is appropriate for parents to treat their child to a soft drink. And it is perfectly appropriate for teenagers to choose a soft drink as refreshment.

But we recognize the uniqueness of the school environment. We also know that parents have a desire for greater control in the school setting. This initiative was developed in partnership with parents and gives them more control over the beverage choices their children have during school. It's a common sense response to better serve parents and children during school.

We particularly like this relationship because it focuses on calories consumed and calories burned. We need to start doing the hard work of teaching our children how to consume foods and beverages as part of a balanced diet and active lifestyle. And we share the Alliance's desire to get more physical activity into schools and the lives of our students.

By shifting the focus to calories, we hope schools will begin teaching students how to consume foods and beverages as part of a balanced diet and be more active..

Notice the language used. First, they prep us with a defensive statement - It's okay if you want to drink sodas loaded with high-fructose corn syrup if that's your preference. But, we "recognize the uniqueness of the school environment". The statement here is that school does indeed represent an opportunity to shape the behaviors and ideals of the youth who pass through it. I'm not sure parents have a desire for greater control in the school setting - but the ABA says it's simply common sense for the foods and drinks at school to be regulated. The next statement is the most important - "By shifting the focus to calories, we hope.." While it's true many people including the youth currently take in more calories than they burn, this has to do with inactive lifestyles and hormone problems caused by toxic food just as much as it does the actual calorie intake. Furthermore, how does forcing everyone to only drinks loaded with aspartame train anyone to live a balanced diet? By removing the regular colas, everyone will now be forced to drink bottled water, diet drinks and "portion controlled" milk and juices. Meanwhile, the prices on the drinks remain the same or higher, even though the smaller portions are cheaper to produce, Aspartame is cheaper than High Fructose Corn Syrup, and bottled water is cheaper to produce than all of the above.

You might ask what's wrong with Aspartame. Well, as a glutamate, it's an excitotoxin. This essentially means that it reacts with glutamate receptors in your brain in such a way that they become hyperactive for a short period of time, before burning out and causing brain cell death. There is some controversy on the approval of aspartame as an artificial sweetener by the FDA, although the official government stance is that in current quantities in food, no risk is posed to consumers, and that nearly any food additive can be dangerous in high quantities (Which is true, enough salt could kill you too).

And so, the larger picture becomes clear. The American Beverage Association is a group conspiring to poison the youth under the guise of healthy dietary choices. They also are pressing the larger agenda of government regulation of all food and drink. The effects of aspartame have been thoroughly researched by many including Dr. Russel Blaylock, author of Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills. If you're not the book readin' type, you can also watch him speak for an hour detailing the history of the development and marketing of excitotoxins such as aspartame and mono-sodium glutamate in this video below.

This article coincides with

American Beverage Association: Assassinated.

InfoSlug Media Assassination

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Target #7: American Beverage Association

No comments:

Post a Comment

Followers

Twitter