CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) — The St Lucia Government says it is undertaking a campaign aimed at discontinuing the sale of soft drinks on school compounds.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness said the highly sweetened fizzy drink is known to have disastrous effects on health and that regular consumption of soda is linked to diabetes, heart disease, obesity, asthma, cavities, among other illnesses.

Chief nutritionist Lisa Hunt Mitchell met with school principals to discuss the best way to reduce the consumption of soda among the youth, noting that the intention is not to place a hole in the pockets of the local manufacturers, but instead, to ensure a healthier nation.

“We are aware of the negative impacts of soft drinks, so the Ministry of Health is engaging school principals, so that they can be supportive in trying to curtail the sale of soft drinks at the schools. We want to encourage the children to drink more water, instead of juices or soft drinks.

“Sweetened beverages are bad for the health in general, but soft drinks have added ingredients such as caffeine, phosphoric acid, and colourings that are far worse. These ingredients have very negative effects on the health,” Mitchell said, adding that St Lucia is not the first country to implement that policy.

“There are many countries that have actually banned the sale of soft drinks at schools. Barbados has done it, and Trinidad recently banned soft drinks and sweetened drinks from schools.”

One school principal, Ella Tomas-John, who is supportive of the initiative, said: “I think it should have been done a long time ago, so that by now we would have reduced the number of behavioural problems that we experience.

“It is important to protect the health of our children. There are children who are obese because they consume all this sugar and do not engage in physical activity. Most children today play with their iPads or their phones instead of engaging in physical activity.”