The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) board is supporting municipal and provincial efforts to curb the sale of energy drinks to youths in Ontario.
On Feb. 4 the board passed a resolution to send a letter to Toronto Public Health “applauding their efforts to explore a municipal ban on the sale and promotion of energy drinks.”
WDGPH is also sending a letter, as well as its own a energy drink report, to the minister of health, local MPPs and other public health units in the province in support of No Time to Wait: The Healthy Kids Strategy.
That report, completed by health experts from various sectors on the “Healthy Kids Panel,” was commissioned by the Ontario minister of health.
At last week’s board of health meeting, medical officer of health and CEO Nicola Mercer presented the energy drink report to board members.
This report states that research shows 30 to 50 per cent of adolescents consume energy drinks, which have 70 to 80mg of caffeine per 237ml serving.
“What we know is that children are increasingly using this product,” Mercer said, noting energy drinks are often packaged in cans larger than one serving size. “The amount of caffeine in any of these larger cans … is certainly more than the recommended daily allowance for a child.”
The report recommended writing a letter to encourage the minister of health to include energy drinks as one of the “high-calorie, low-nutrient” beverages under the Healthy Kids Strategy.
Mercer also said it should be pointed out that Health Canada has already acknowledged energy drinks aren’t recommended for children, pregnant women, breast feeding moms or people with caffeine sensitivity.
In its letter WDGPH will also point out it supports two specific sections of No Time to Wait: The Healthy Kids Strategy – a recommended ban on marketing high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and beverages to kids under 12, as well as a ban on point-of-sale promotions and displays for those foods and beverages in retail settings.
Mercer noted that is exactly what beverage companies are doing with energy drinks.
“They’re marketing to children and they very much rely on point of sale at checkouts or convenience stores located at child height, low enough to get these children to purchase these products,” she said.
Mercer made it clear she isn’t saying Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph should ban energy drinks immediately, she just wants WDGPH to show support for the communities and the government agency taking a step in that direction.
Some WDGPH board members offered their support of the letters.
“If everyone stays silent on this then sometimes the provincial and federal and even the local level will think there’s no interest or any support,” said board member Guy Gardhouse.
“If they see that there is an interest and response from other organizations then that encourages them to pursue what they’re doing. I see this as very positive.”
Other members questioned whether there was a way to enforce the recommendations and areas of support.
“We don’t have a plan with how to enforce children not being able to have access to it other than looking at education and looking at marketing,” said board member Rose Silvestro.
Board member Keith Parron said he wouldn’t support the public health recommendations because he thinks energy drinks fall under Health Canada’s mandate.
In the end, the WDGPH board voted in support of sending the letters to the City of Toronto, the minister of health, MPPs and other health units.
“It’s about getting children on the right path,” Mercer said. “Children don’t know that this isn’t good for them to drink, so they may begin drinking it.”
The board previously sent a letter to the Canadian Beverage Association, including a request for the association to appear as a delegation, but hadn’t received a response by the Feb. 4 meeting.
