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The Daily PollGRAPHIC HEALTH WARNINGS like those on cigarette packets, showing rotten teeth on cans of fizzy drinks, could deter people from buying them, a new study has shown.
Professor Anna Peeters from Australia’s Deakin University investigated the feasibility of introducing health warnings about the links between sugary drinks and obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.
The study of around 1,000 people found that all warnings reduced a person’s inclination to buy the sugary drinks. There was a 20% drop where a picture of rotten teeth was used.
In light of the new research, we want to know what you think?
Poll: Would graphic photos on cans stop you from buying sugary drinks?
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Next it will be a picture of a dead Horse on packets of supermarket Burgers
Or pictures of stray cats on your curry
@Fred Claus: how about we get the parents to fed the kids healthy food and if they don’t like the school lunches, they can give the kids a packed lunch? #yourkidsyourresponsibility
@Fred Claus: so true , they need to stop with this mass market fear mongering crap – improving education in school when kids are young is a better way to go , saw a great feature about some schools in japan – everyday the kids themselves are involved in learning the preparing food , the learn to cook , they eat the meals for their lunch and they all learn on cleaning up the dishes etc afterwards – kids growing up knowing more about how to cook and what to cook for themselves , improved nutrition education from young age and all this while in an education environment with friends etc is far far smarter approach than trying scare mongering – also would open up the debtate on how to reform and make suitable improvements to education environment in ireland where it needs to more forward away from compulsory Irish language and religion for everyone to more suitable life skills and knowledge for the next generation .
@Dave Hammond: the current situation is that private companies are allowed to push their unhealthy and unecessary products without restriction through advertising, with seemingly great success since half the population is fat and probably doesn’t want to be, and any attempt to curb their influence is seen as nanny statism. Advertising works. There is a lot of research into how to manipulate people, where to place ads so you hit their weeks spots. It works subliminally so you might think you’re ignoring it and making logical decisions when in fact you have been influenced.
@SC: hmm , i’ve a problem with your assertion though – ‘half the population is fat and probably doesn’t want to be’ ?? Are they the same half that choose not to do anything about it ? They choose to live their own lives . How come the other half can choose to have a more balanced approach and not drink / eat in excess and get out after work for a cycle or jog and live normal healthy lives ? Yet can live in a world where they have been ‘exposed’ to the ‘nasty advertising’ – i don’t buy it – those of us who wish to live normal open free to choose lives shouldn’t have to have everything ‘banned’ and ‘nanny state’ rules just because some people are too stupid to make sensible decisions for themselves. Advertising can be persuasive but people have to take responsibility for themselves – i think it is misinformed easy finger pointing to blame advertising – people who live full normal healthy lives are exposed to the same ads every day and see to manage grand without constant warnings – my parents always gave me simple advice when I was growing up in Dublin – ‘too much of anything is bad for you’ – I don’t understand why the ’50% who are fat and dont want to be’ you mentioned can’t just take responsibility for their own lives instead of having the nanny state constantly warning and labelling every single item with fear mongering pictures and labels. It’s Nonsense.
@Dave Hammond: That makes sense for adults but the seeds of obesity are sowed in childhood so anything that could prevent young people being targeted by shiny advertising material could help. Smoking is down significantly amongst young people vs the same figure in 2010 and this has been helped by hiding advertising, hiding cigarettes in shops, plain packaging with health warnings and other forms of commercial and social ostracism.
@Sean: I don’t think thats comparing like with like at all …it has been (rightly ) illegal to even sell tobacco to under 18s so of course there is a decline – see my original comment ( on japan) for my thoughts on how better to approach food / education /kids in schools – the point still stands that personal responsibility has to be taken , there are plenty of normal people who have grown and live normal happy healthy lives and arent trying to blame mc donalds because they are fat or advertising for ‘making’ them become unhealthy- we have all been equally ‘exposed’ to same ads during our childhoods – its finger pointing and smacks of pc madness and wanting to blame someone else – a great many people are just sick of the constant warnings and nanny state thinking – people are free to choose how to live their lives – we should be spending out money and efforts on fixing /improving the health service for people instead of the nanny state BS.
@Dave Hammond: couldn’t agree more….is ” personal responsibility ” a thing of the past???
@Frank Dubogovik: ! But whose personal responsibility? The parents or the children? Certain people will feed their children a poor quality diet whether through ignorance or negligence. The children are too young to vote so can be absolved to some extent of personal responsibility in the food choices they are making. By the time they are old enough to exercise personal responsibility it is already too late as they are well on the way to a lifetime of being overweight.
@Chris Turner: you hit the nail on the head right there
the government should make it easy for lazy parents just ban all sweets, sugary drinks, fast food, and pay for someone to come around to the lazy parents house and cook healthy food for them. problem solved.
@Roy Dowling: in one way you have a point . People don’t really learn to cook in school or at home nowadays. Plus often they are so busy the quick option is the sugar laden ready meal. Even the savoury stuff is full of sugar.
@Roy Dowling: parents are too busy on social media to cook
It doesn’t stop me buying smokes so not gonna stop me buy my ice cold can of coke either … my money my body p off nanny state
@dublinsnap: Yeah, but when you get lung cancer and diabetes the rest of us will have to pay
@The Bull McCabe: Everyone seems happy with the governments comments on the possibility of the government paying for abortion. so why wouldn’t propel be happy paying for a man’s cancer treatment?
@Roy Dowling: Because he caused it himself by smoking cigarettes. Why should someone who doesn’t smoke pay taxes to treat someone who does smoke when they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions?
@The Bull McCabe: And no cases of abortion will be a caused by a women who chose to have sex without protection? Why should we pay for that women’s choice when she was aware of the consequences?
@Roy Dowling: Different argument
@The Bull McCabe: it’s not a different argument. It’s someone making a choice to do something that has bad consequences and they do it anyway. Be it a person choosing to by smokes getting cancer. Of a women choosing to have unprotected sex and getting pregnant, or an sti. In both examples it’s the tax payer who pays for there mistakes.
@The Bull McCabe: if I get ….. and again my choice I pay my taxes so if I do I’ll have covered my own health care from the last 20+ years iv worked to now
@The Bull McCabe: w
@The Bull McCabe: I don’t drink alcohol which is the worse drug out there destroying family’s everyday but not a peep about that from the government no ? But let’s go after sugar …. seems legit
@Roy Dowling: is it only the woman making the choice then yeah? Pregnancy requires a man too, yet we’re not policing their bodies. Also it’s ‘their’ you numpt.
@Darren Whelan: before correcting someone’s grammar and trying to insult them feel free to ensure you spell the insult correctly.
Also never claimed it was only the women making the choice. But it’s more than likely they’ll be the one making the choice of having an abortion.
@dublinsnap: There are taxes on alcohol. It is wrong to say there’s not a peep out of the government. The problem with taxing alcohol too much or banning it is that it is very easy to make from sugar so people just make it at home under prohibitive regimes, and that is worse. The approach has to appropriate taxes and education.
@dublinsnap: Smoking is indefensibly stupid for many reasons but I can’t argue with your logic. If you are working and paying taxes and also buying legal cigarettes and paying taxes on them then yes assuming you live long enough and pay enough taxes you will have earned the right to die a painful early death from a smoking related and entirely preventable condition.
Why not tax sugary foods and drinks of all kinds and that would increase their price. Put the tax money towards a free dental care scheme. But what would probably happen is that the Dail would get another pay raise and a bigger pension packet with early retirement options while the nation’s teeth rot …but as long as they get to live in a swanky house in Dalkey then it’s ok.
@Eugene Tyson: could also go towards health care for people with diabetes etc
@Eugene Tyson: we pay enough taxes and one of the reasons parents go for the quick meal is that both parents have to work because of the cost of living here. So additional taxes wouldn’t make it better.
@Eugene Tyson: They would be wise to stick some in a reserved fund for when the aspartame bubble bursts.
@Eugene Tyson: why don’t people get a job and go to the dentist. Or go round as a toothless idiot
Election posters should have a picture of bullish!t
@Matt Connolly: Good one lol.
Also alcohol should have graphic warnings, with pictures of waking up beside an ugly person or drunk texting your ex.
More nanny state snake oil remedies.
When my grown up kids were small and going to school, they got a packed lunch and we paid school for the milk scheme and the kids got milk no sugary drinks. Plus, they played outside after school or played soccer and were in the swimming pool. They watched tv after they came in from playing, and when the computer came in the house they were thought how to use it and could have an hour or two on it. My special needs child is swimming in the special Olympics national games in June, and the training he has to go through anyone would fine it difficult. My kids like many i’m sure are allowed to have an odd sugary drink now and again. What is wrong with people can they not think for themselves that we have to turn into a nanny state and be told what to do by the state, in the recent referendum people wanted choice so why can’t those same people make the right choice for their kids.
@Charliegrl80: Great comment & fair play to your kid :)
How much of the new sugar tax is going into oral health promotion ? So far nothing .
Like during the referendum, these graphic pictures are crude and rude.they are not effective.
All ads for airlines should show a crashed plane and car ads should show at least 2 crashed cars. Posters for politicians should carry a warning that the candidate will promise everything but will do damn all for you when they get elected.
If its just on cans, what’s the point? I have only bought one can in the past year or so. I prefer bottles.
My method of cutting down on soft drinks is to go to Germany for a week every couple of years. For some reason, whilst I’m there I drink little or no soft drinks. I think it’s because of just how widely available sparkling water is.. I can even get it if I go somewhere like McDonald’s.
@Mirabelle Stonegate:
And beer.
Moore Street: Tobacco, cigarettes, soda!
@Biezpiena Kurpes: soda? More like min-er-aaaaalllsss!
This is absolute nonsense the sugar in a can of Coke is the same that’s in an orange. It’s not feckin poison it’s an ingredient.
If you are obese and looking in the mirror doesn’t change your habits then a picture of some other person with the same problem on your can of coke probably won’t help either.
Just like graphic photos on cig packs don’t
@Keith Healy: are you sure? It probably doesn’t affect everyone. But even if just 5% of people quit because of it then there’s a strong argument that it does work.
We could put pictures of rotten teeth on fizzy drink cans or maybe, oh I dunno, parents could actually take responsibility for teaching their own kids about a proper diet and show them how to use a toothbrush.
It didn’t put the majority of people off voting for abortion, so it won’t work with sugar either.
Everyone should use a straw with your fizzy drinks to help avoid contact with your teeth as much as possible.
Oh wait straws are being outlawed too
Ffs what next.
Just about all Fizzy pop contains aspartame now since this stupid tax!
I find certain types of carbonated drinks help release gas in my stomach caused by Colitis, but aspartame causes stomach cramps & destroys my stomach- manufacturers have just replaced sugar with this crap!
Rare i would drink a sugary drink i stick to water but there was a time i lived on cans of 7Up & i piled on weight from them…
and what about the good olde apple…. rumour has it that the sugar or acid in apples can cause tooth decay too – Oh wait.. apples are good for you?
Wonder if you could genetically engineer apples to come with their own warnings and bar codes on the skin?
I can promise you I do not want to be greeted by 1001 rotting teeth when I visit the shop for my bottle drink… for tooth decay never killed anyone (that we know of) and weight issues are more related to exercise but also has some genetic element as some people seem to have difficulty putting on weight and others seem to have difficulty keeping it down.
I’m not a dentist but I heard sugary drinks are in fact not as bad for your teeth as crisps or doughy bread… What causes cavities is the bacteria feeds on the simple carbs in your mouth, so since sugary drinks pass through your mouth quickly, they’re not as bad as bits of bread or crisps that stay lodged in your teeth for an hour or more.
I answered no the extra collected from the money was going into the Government coffers and not directed to health of people
Might offend all those who are sensitive to imagery been shown Will someone think of the children
I think it might make an impression on children and teenagers.
Walk around any supermarket even the small local one and see the amount of products that contain high sugar or high salt etc etc… Its our retailers that need to be supplied with vast amount of healthier choices rather than vast amounts of s@#$e and not have shops 80% full of foods that are bad for your health…
But that would meaning annoying the big companies who are friends with our law makers so instead lets just stick nasty images on packaging..
Have a look around your local shop between sweets biscuits cakes sugary drinks and the wall of chocolate at the counter… Its a joke for me this is what needs to change every shop is set up to encourage people to buy their junk…Mindset needs to change in the shops…
But it wont so silly little measures like this that dont work will be chosen instead
What did stop me from buying sugary drinks, is the fact that they put aspartame into *regular* ones. Not all of them, but Fanta certainly started tasting like shit here in Ireland last year (and already has tasted like shit in the UK for some years) because of this.
I’m glad that these sweeteners do taste rancid enough to notice, because I’m allergic to some of them, but seriously: if you want less sugar, just get a diet one instead!
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