Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today.
In the next 10 minutes I'm going to share with you some industry information and some information about what the industry is doing to promote healthy, active lifestyles, particularly among children and youth. But the main message I want to leave with you today is that we want to be part of the solution. We want to work with all stakeholders, including government, on meaningful solutions to really address this problem.
Let me start by introducing Refreshments Canada. We're an industry association representing more than 40 brands of the types of beverages that we all drink every day: bottled water, juices, juice drinks, sports drinks, soft drinks, and so on. We represent the industry in regulatory public policy and commercial issues with all levels of government. We're also linked with other stakeholders on issues relating to the refreshment beverage industry.
Our key objectives include promoting beverages as an important part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle; promoting innovation and availability to meet consumer demands; and developing industry initiatives to support healthy, active lifestyles, particularly among youth.
To give you a quick snapshot of the industry itself, our members alone represent a $5-billion-a-year industry in Canada, with 12,000 direct and 20,000 indirect jobs in every region of the country. We have more than 100 facilities across the country and an annual payroll of about $500 million.
We're here today to talk about childhood obesity. You've heard before, and I'm sure you'll hear again, that obesity is a serious and complex issue. No single food or single ingredient is to blame. As a result, unfortunately, there is no easy solution. We believe that demonizing foods, pointing fingers, blaming, and banning foods will not help. In fact, many experts say that bans can actually have a negative impact by making the food more attractive, increasing the likelihood that it will be over-consumed. We believe that if we really want to have an impact on this issue, we need a comprehensive approach, focusing not only on healthy food choices but also on physical activity and nutrition education.
We have to teach children the importance of moderation and balance, and I'm going to tell you a little bit about what our industry is doing in that area. But again, I can't stress enough that we want to work with government on solutions.
In terms of beverages, it's important to understand that they're vital to a healthy, balanced diet. They provide hydration, nutrition, energy, and refreshment. All beverages can contribute to hydration, which is especially important for children. In a document called “Step Right Up to Healthy Eating: Fueling the Young Athlete”, Dietitians of Canada notes that children have a poor sense of thirst and need to be reminded to drink during sports, and that while water is a good thirst-quencher, many children will drink more when their beverages are flavoured.
While all beverages can be part of a healthy, balanced diet, the key, as in everything we eat and drink, is moderation and balance. The beverage industry offers a wide range of products choices and packaging sizes to meet the needs of all consumers.
We know that obesity is a result of calories in, calories out. In other words, if we consume more calories than we expend, we're likely going to gain weight. But the survey that Jill mentioned earlier, the Statistics Canada Canadian Community Health Survey, shows that caloric intake for both boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 19 actually declined between 1972 and 2004. In fact, it declined for most other groups as well. I'm not pointing this out to say, hey, therefore food is not the problem, so let's focus on physical activity. But what this does show is that if caloric intake among children has declined over that time, then their level of physical activity has declined even more, to create the balance.
So again, to solve this problem, children have to consume fewer calories but increase their exercise. We have to focus on both parts of the equation: healthy eating and physical activity.
It's not just overall caloric intake that's declining. Calories from soft drinks have also fallen. Soft drinks, as you know, have been targeted as one of the main culprits in the obesity crisis, but data from Statistics Canada shows that the amount of soft drinks available for consumption has dropped by 9% since 1998. Our own industry data confirms that there's a definite shift from regular soft drinks to bottled water, juices, and other non-carbonated beverages, and our industry is trying to accelerate that shift. That's what our voluntary school guidelines are all about. We recognize that schools are a unique environment.
Our guidelines address both the product mix and the package sizes available to students at school. They're designed to be age-appropriate, recognizing that the school environment of an elementary school is very different from that of a high school. There's a huge difference in ages, maturity levels, body sizes, activity levels, nutrition requirements, and so on.
There is one thing we are focusing on at all grade levels. What we're trying to do is reduce the number of calories and increase the nutritious beverage choices for all students while they're at school. By doing this, we hope to help children develop healthy habits that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Here's how the guidelines work.
In elementary and middle schools, only 100% sweetened juices, bottled waters, and low-fat milk will be sold. In addition, the package sizes will be capped at 250 millilitres in elementary schools and 300 millilitres in middle schools. A number of dieticians we consulted supported the graduated package size, based on the increasing ages of the students.
In high schools we will offer a wider range of beverages, but we will still maintain the focus on low-calorie and no-calorie beverage options: high school students will have access to the juices, waters, and low-fat milk, but in addition they will have available a wider variety of low-calorie and no-calorie options, such as diet beverages. As well, they may have juice drinks and sports drinks, provided they don't exceed 100 calories per container, and the size of the containers at high school levels for the juices, waters, sports drinks, and juice drinks will be capped at 355 millilitres, again recognizing the older students.
Finally, at least 50% of the beverage options offered in the high schools must be water, low-calorie, and no-calorie beverage options.
These guidelines are already in effect for new and renewing school contracts, and it is our hope that they will be fully implemented by the 2009-10 school year. The phase-in time is needed for a number of reasons: first, it recognizes our existing contractual obligations; and second, it gives industry the time it needs to develop new products, redesign packaging, and enhance vending capabilities in order to meet the spirit and letter of our guidelines.
As I mentioned earlier, students are already shifting toward juices and waters; our guidelines will simply reinforce and accelerate that shift. We believe our guidelines are a solid step in the right direction, and we hope they show a positive commitment on behalf of our industry to being part of the solution.
We also hope that the information presented, including contradictory findings on the slide on page 11, clearly show there is no black and white solution. For example, a study in 2006 showed a direct association between soft drink consumption and weight gain in adolescent girls; however, another study showed no relationship between consumption of sweetened beverages and fat mass in healthy males and females aged 8 to 19. In 2003 a study showed time spent watching television and the number of soft drinks consumed were significantly associated with obesity in 11- to 13-year-olds; however, another showed no linear relationship between sweetened beverage consumption, BMI, and total energy intake in 10-year-old children.
So again, this shows there is no conclusive evidence pointing toward any one target or one solution. We hope this committee will consider and discuss all of the available information.
The bottom line here is that whether or not there's a cause-and-effect relationship, a focus only on the caloric intake will only address one part of the problem. The evidence tells us obesity is caused by a number of factors, including a decline in physical activity; an increase in sedentary activity; lack of awareness, knowledge, or education; cost and availability of food; safety concerns; and on and on. Clearly, the solutions have to be multi-sectoral and multi-level. It's truly time for all stakeholders to come to the table.
We're here today to tell you that we want to do our part to work together to really start to make a difference. I thank you for your attention, and again, we thank you for the opportunity of being here today.