Is Sunny Delight too sweet for school kids?
The Center for Science in the Public Interest is going after the makers of Sunny Delight, arguing that the sugary drink is unhealthy and shouldn't participate in school-based marketing programs. CSPI sent a letter on Tuesday to the company's CEO asking that it refrain from aiming at young children through its "SunnyD Book Spree."
The program rewards kids with 20 books if they turn in 20 drink labels.
"You shouldn't subject kids to a sugar spree to get them to enjoy a book spree," CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan said in a statement. "Make no mistake -- this is not an act of philanthropy on the part of Sunny Delight. These books aren't 'free,' as described. They come at both a financial cost and a cost to children's health."
The CSPI, which has been something of the nation's food police since its famous campaigns against unhealthy movie theater popcorn and Chinese food, contends that the book program "encourages families to consume a drink that promotes diabetes, weight gain, and other health problems."
A 16-ounce bottle contains nearly seven teaspoons of sugar and is only 5 percent juice. And, the CSPI noted, Sunny Delight uses artificial sweeteners in addition to corn syrup.
CSPI touted the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Smart Snack standards, which prohibit the sale of sugary drinks at schools and require policies on junk-food reduction from school districts.
And so that Sunny Delight wouldn't be alone, the group also took a swipe at Pizza Hut (YUM), which rewards students who document their reading with a free personal pizza. Rewarding kids with food is a bad practice and "cultivates unhealthy eating habits, especially when the food in question is of poor nutritional value," the CSPI said.
It then noted that a pepperoni Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut has 620 calories, 11 grams of saturated fat, and 1,540 milligrams of sodium.
