New report considers top selling ‘fruit’ drinks as unhealthy

Many national health organisations including the American Beverage Association (ABA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have considered that most of the nation’s top selling ‘fruit’ drinks for kids are unhealthy due to the copious amount of sugars that have been added. These levels of sugars exceed the recommended daily intake. Both Hi C and Tum E Yummies from Coca-Cola, Kool Aid Jammers and Capri Sun Roarin' from Heinz came under the list of drinks considered unhealthy for the developing taste buds and future hearth health of toddlers.

If you look at the packaging of the products, it's impossible to tell what's inside the product just from the front of the package. You have to turn it over and look at the ingredient list to see how much juice is in it, or to see if it has added sugar or low-calorie sweeteners.Also, the ABA does not consider packaging designed to appeal to children as marketing to children,” said lead author Jennifer Harris, the principal investigator for the three-year study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which led to this conclusion.

The FDA has also imposed new guidelines for beverage companies stating that they have to be clear in mentioning the amount of present in the drink. Also, they are considering banning ads for all beverages except for those containing zero sugars on television channels meant for children.