By Princewill Ekwujuru

Globally, medical professionals have complained of obesity and diabetes in children, all linked to Sugar-sweetened beverages which leads to over 180,000 obesity-related deaths worldwide each year.

“This means that about one in every 100 deaths from obesity-related diseases are caused by drinking sugary beverages,” as propounded by a Harvard School of Public Health research. This accordingly may have informed the recent ban, when  Tesco,  an European supermarket brand in August 2015 decided to cut sugary drinks from its shelves – with the major culprit being Ribena and Rubicon.

Tesco, enacted these changes as most schools resumed in September 2015, the same time schools resumed in Nigeria.

Invariably, Nigerian consumers had hoped that steps could be taken by Nigerian supermarkets owners and other stores to replicate this enactment, as the children and adult alike in Nigeria experience same obesity and diabetic problem.

Other beverages with high sugar content include; Pepsi, Lacasera regular, yoghurts, the low-fat and non–fat versions, the link to Coke with high sugar content seems to have died down over the years since options have been provided in Diet coke and Zero coke.

Meanwhile, Nigerian consumers have called on government and other health authorities and shop owners to either remove or replace sugary drinks by no-added-sugar alternatives.

However, to take the decision on ban may be somewhat unpopular if Nigerian super stores to take this step it will be a decision that is targeted at kids’ which is part of a campaign against childhood obesity.

Like Tesco’s Soft Drinks Buying Manager, David Beardmore said, “the ban is part of the store’s 10-point plan against obesity and, we have decided that from September (that was in 2015) we will only sell no-added-sugar drinks in the kids’ juice category.”

A good step by Tesco one may say, but can this decision be taken in Nigeria by super store managers or can Glaxosmithkline owners of the brand look for alternative for Nigerian children.?

However, outraged fans in Europe, of the popular blackcurrant cordial had gone to Twitter to voice their outrage at this Tesco decision. Some of the customers had this to say:

The decision by Tesco did not go without protect from consumers in Europe who were of the view that “it is insane for Tesco to pull Ribena from the shelves-sugar is not the problem, a lack of exercise is.”

Meanwhile, to determine the effect of sugar-sweetened beverage on Nigerians, particularly on children, Financial Vanguard sampled the opinion of medical experts and consumers alike were it was revealed that a 500 millitre Ribena contains 52.6grams sugar. According to Musikat Alabi of Muslab Medical centre, Oshodi, “the World Health Organisation, WHO, recommends consuming no more than 10 percent of our daily kilojoules in sugar. Using this rule, and based on an 8,000 kilojoule-per-day diet, sugar consumption should be no more than 800 kilojoules per day, or approximately 50 grams of sugar.

For Dr. Valentine Ateosu of Mosaf Medical Centre, Olodi-Apapa, coroborated the above statement, but said, “sugar is an embedded part of human active, total cut will not be good and high consumption is not good also.” In Nigeria, consumers have called for abrupt withdrawal of Ribena from supermarkets.

The sugar in Ribena is the problem, not fat, said Shola Ogundana, a medical practitioner who said danger locks around for persons who take sugary beverages like Ribena and others.

However, efforts   made to speak with Glaxosmithkline on the issue was abortive, as this reporter was not allowed to speak with any of the top management, occasioned by the company’s strict security rule.

For Omobola Ojo, banning of the brand will be a relief for her, I have been looking for a way to stop my children from having it in their lunch box.

The sugar in Ribena is the problem, not fat, said Shola Ogundana, a medical practitioner who said danger locks around for persons who take sugary beverages like Ribena and others.
Robert Akunna, a Marketing professional with Orlick Communications said; “this goes beyond campaign against Obesity on billboards, print and broadcast mediums. Scientists found that more people died from diabetes, heart disease and cancer in parts of the world where consumption of sugary drinks are high.”

Of the nine world regions in 2010, Latin America and the Caribbean had the most diabetes deaths linked to sugary drinks with 38,000. East and Central Eurasia had the most cardiovascular deaths at 11,000.

In the United States, sugary drinks were linked to the deaths of 25,000 people from diabetes and other obesity-related diseases. As in many other countries, the death rates were highest in young adults under age 45, with one in 10 obesity-related deaths associated with sugary beverages, According to

“Almost three-quarters of the deaths caused by sugary drinks are in low and middle income countries,” says study author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, co-director of the cardiovascular epidemiology program at the Harvard School of Public Health. “So this is not just a problem in wealthy nations.”

Food advice:
Like Dr. Robert Dim, a Nutrition expert said, “eat the fruit, don’t drink the juice. Fruit juice in cartons has had all the fibre squeezed out of it, making its sugars more dangerous.”

Continuing he stated that beef from grass-fed cattle is fine, but not from corn-fed cattle. He noted that sweetened beverages deliver sugar but with no nutritional added value. Water and milk are the best drinks, especially for children.

For Olajide Odunade, a nutritionist advised consumers to watch out for added sugar in foods where they would not expect it.

Alcohol just like sugar pushes up the body’s insulin levels, which tells the liver to store energy in fat cells. Alcohol is a recognised cause of fatty liver disease.

On cookies and cake, Dim stated “if you must eat them, bake them yourself with one third less sugar than the recipe says. Lustig says they even taste better that way.