February 3, 2015–It’s good to see companies doing healthier things for consumers, especially where children are concerned. After all, kids are our future! The national fast-food chain, Wendy’s, announced in January 2015, it would remove soda from its “kids’ menus” in response to requests from organizations such as Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and MomsRising.org. This means that menus which include children’s food choices will not even mention the word “soda.” However, those who wish can still order soda for their children, according to Food Safety News, January 16, 2013. Wendy’s is not alone in their effort to help reduce children’s consumption of sugary drinks and prevent childhood obesity. Companies, such as Arby’s, Chipotle, Subway, and Panera, are also on the bandwagon.
Food Safety News also notes that the American Heart Association (AHA) discourages the consumption by children of more than three to four teaspoons of sugar a day and points out that a 12-ounce can of soda contains more than 10 teaspoons of sugar… while a 2-liter bottle of soda can contain as much as 27 teaspoons of sugar! Definitely food for thought!
CVS’ Larry Merlo announced in February 2014 that the CVS Caremark would no longer sell cigarettes from its stores. This, in an effort to reduce the number of smoking-related diseases in the U.S. population. Smoking kills more than 480,000 Americans each year and contributes to lung cancer, heart disease and many other ailments. Not selling cigarettes may represent an estimated $2 billion loss in cigarette-related sales to the corporation–but Merlo says CVS is evolving into more of a healthcare company, and selling cigarettes simply represented a philosophical contradiction. (For more on this, please visit: www.cbsnews.com/news/cvs-ceo-larry-merlo-on-plan-to-stop-selling-tobacco-products/ )
BeChildSafe.org wishes other companies would take a courageous look at their missions and goals in the interest of better fitting their products to their consumers’ health and safety, especially where children are concerned. Bravo, Wendy’s! Bravo, CVS!
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