April 13, 2022
Sugary drinks ban good start in diabetes fight
There’s thumbs up to a proposal to ban sugary drinks in primary schools.
The Ministry of Education is now asking schools and, whānau for feedback on the idea.
Diabetes New Zealand chief executive Heather Varry says sugar fizz are a huge factor in people getting diabetes at an early age.
“This never used to happen. Diabetes was something you got when you were probably about 50 so it’s really quite sad. Even if we can have the small measure of banning sugar drinks at school and having water only then we are just starting to sow the seeds in that respect,” she says.
Ms Varry says Māori and Pacific Island people are at higher risk of getting diabetes.
Sugary drinks account for more than a quarter of children’s sugar intake in Aotearoa.