Coca Cola Promotional Propaganda!
Posted on May 9th, 2012
Vajiragnana Warnakulasuriya, Melbourne
Honorable Ministers,
At the outset let me admit that I am clueless as to whom this letter should be addressed, however I believe every one of you have the responsibility to prevent easy access to this soft drink by the school going children!
Recently I saw a news item on TV Derana that they were distributing goodies to the people as a promotional exercise for Coca Cola and that they are making arrangements to take this vehicle to the villages too.
Coca Cola is a Soft drink that is every rich in Caffeine, this is very dangerous addictive in the same line as Cigarettes, and once you get hooked you ask for more and more. It is the small children who get addicted and it is for them they target this drink! The producer will gradually increase the dosage of Caffeine in the absence of a quality control scheme. I wonder whether there’s anything like quality control on soft drinks!
Here in Australia all bottled drinks are prohibited in the school canteens. In fact they are only selling Health foods only. If the schools are compelled to serve only health foods, there should be a proper monitoring to see this directive is implemented strictly in the canteens.
Caffeine is believed to be one of the most commonly used mind- and mood-altering drugs in the world, according to Johns Hopkins(Hospital). If a child suddenly stops consuming caffeine, he may experience flu-like symptoms, fatigue, headache, difficulty concentrating and irritability. Some of the more common effects include headaches, nervousness, anxiety, restlessness, muscle tension inability to concentrate and sleep disturbances. Some kids may also begin to feel jittery and show signs of hyperactivity. An increase in heart rate and blood pressure can also occur. KidsHealth.org states that this can aggravate underlying health issues such as cardiovascular disease.
What I have mentioned here are the side effects when the consumption increases with the addiction. If Sri Lanka is marching towards to achieve the accolade “Wonder of Asia” then those in autority must protect the young who would make that imagination a reality!
The intention of this note is to stop selling of Coca Cola to innocent vulnerable children creating a drastically sick society in the future adding much more expenses to the Hospitals.
It is better to seek the Medical advice before enticing the young to an addictive soft drink irresponsively in the country by the greedy merchants.
Yours Sincerely,
Vajiragnana Warnakulasuriya,
Melbourne
May 10th, 2012 at 12:37 am
I have heard that in India Pepsi and Coca Cola are totally banned. If it is so harmful to human mind and body why can’t the FDA or any relevant authority ban the selling of these deadly products. Now a days, bottled green tea is very popular in many parts of the world and it should be promoted also in Sri Lanka instead of Coca Cola and/or Pepsi.
May 10th, 2012 at 6:49 am
Excess of sugar and acidity in Coke can play havoc with a person’s health. The human digestive system is not designed for such large amounts of sugar and acid. It is reckoned that each bottle of Coke has about 10 spoons of sugar. Sugar leaches away the Calcium in the body, mainly teeth. The excess sugar will add body fat too.Sugar substitutes are even worse, except for Stevia which is herbal. Stevia is used extensively in Japan. Stevia should be grown in Sri Lanka.
It is said that a chicken bone will dissolve in Coke, if left overnight in it. Coke is that acidic. It can be used to remove rust. Imagine what it will do to your guts with the delicate mucus lining.
Coke consumed in small amounts, occasionally only, may be harmless. However, it may be habit forming. Coke is meant to give that sugar hype, with great flavor. Those Coke ads are so alluringly Modern and enticing too !
It is always better to drink water, coconut water or fresh fruit juice, with very little sugar or no added sugar.
This is where business and health needs clash. Sorry, but the facts must be put out. Now, let the ‘buyer beware’.