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The Soda Ban Question

  • Antonio Evans
  • December 12, 2010

Frankly, attempts on banning certain foods and beverages that can be purchased through food stamps raises the debate again on just what exactly are we doing to our unfortunate poor.

It’s already hard for our less than lucky brothers to find food for their families, but isn’t it already too much to ban such simple drinks like soda? These people need something to drink, right? So why don’t we just let them have their way?

Let me just make things clear. I am in favor of the ban on sodas. In my opinion, soda has brought nothing but problems to the general health of our population. Sodas are cheap, easy to get, and very high in sugar ” the so-called trinity of junk foods. And this is we usually find in the market.

But I think the question here is not about the adverse effects of soda on us. The question here is just what will people buy with the food stamps they have. This brings to the fore the issue of dictation. It appears that the more affluent members of our society get free reign on deciding what should and shouldn’t be bought by those who can’t afford to buy their own meals.

It’s also an example of the dismal quality of our food. Every day, more and more factories are cranking out tons of food that, in my opinion, are slowly poisoning us. It’s already bad enough that we eat too much processed food, but to end up drinking processed beverages borders on desperation. But what can we do? It’s the easiest and cheapest to find in a grocery store rack.

Well, if we just need a thirst-quencher, or something to wash down what we had for dinner, then a glass of water would do the trick. It’s virtually free, and it’s quite abundant. In fact, it is said that NYC tap water is some of the highest quality water in the US.

This brings us back to factory-packaged drinks, sodas especially. We all know that companies had to add ingredients to the drinks, but the reason why it’s relatively cheaper than water is the supply. There are so many soda brands flooding the market that competition is fierce. One of the simplest ways to earn a slice in the market share is lowering prices. One would think that these lower prices might lead companies into ruin, but it doesn’t. They’re actually earning from the increased sales. All they needed was to earn enough to cover their overhead costs. This results to cheaper drinks, more poor families buying them, and an early Christmas for the firms that sell them.

I think the problem here does not lie with what people purchase with their food stamps. The problem is on what people are capable of purchasing with their food stamps. It is easy for us to say that we should eat healthy, because we can afford it. But what about those who can’t? These families spend an average of $13 less for each person compared to the average American household. Imagine that, $13 less for each member of the family. So, can you blame a mother if she reaches for that two-liter bottle of Coke?

You might hear people say that juice is too expensive for them to buy. I know that, but I didn’t say that you should buy that. In fact, I’d say that you should avoid it. It’s not healthy at all. Do you realize that juices sold in the market are actually very high in sugar? This is the kind of beverage that children should not be drinking. And people are saying that it’s the healthier beverage. The juice manufacturers would all say that they didn’t put sugar in it, and they may be right. Instead of sugar, they just used corn syrup or something similar. It’s just as sweet, but its way cheaper, juice is not the answer.

Looking through the internet, I was able to find some interesting information on some of the popular beverages in the market today. Water is, as always, the healthiest beverage. It’s got virtually no calories, so you can have lots of it without fear of getting obese. Here’s a simplified table below:

Beverage Calorie Content Sodium Vitamin C Other Info
Water 0 0 0 NA
Coca-Cola 173 11 mg 0 High in sugar
Sunny Delight 120 190mg 100% High in thiamine, but has too much sugar.
Naked Juice 130 15mg NA It has lower sodium, but it also has too much sugar.
Country Time 60 25mg 10% NA

Considering all the things said, I think the best way to deal with the soda ban issue on food stamps is in defining what healthier alternatives people can buy. After all, they also need good nutrition. If their health fails, then it’s going to be an additional burden to society to hospitalize them. Education also plays a big part in correcting whatever wrong perceptions they have on what they can eat.

I guess it’s time for our government to deal with this issue decisively. It’s not just the food stamps now, it’s also about the over-all health of Americans.

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