Students take fizz out of colas, demand ban on campus

VLB Janakiammal College of Arts and Science at Kovaipudur in Coimbatore sent a circular to students on Tuesday that soft drinks manufactured by foreign companies would not be sold in the college canteen. “We are pleased to note your awareness about imported soft drinks and we are happy to oblige. Soft drinks of foreign origin will not be served from today (January 24). Instead we will be serving fresh juice,” the circular from the principal stated.   

College officials claimed that the decision was taken primarily due to resistance from students. Nearly to a dozen other colleges in Coimbatore have asked the MNCs to stop supply till resistance reduced. After the college in Coimbatore decided to remove soft drinks from its campus, educational institutions in the city are already discussing if they could follow suit. 

Andrew Sesuraj, assistant professor, Loyola College said, “Students are already talking about taking it as a model and presenting it to the management. In November 26, 2016, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had sent a letter to all vice chancellors of universities to carry out a set of instructions against availability and sale of junk food in higher educational institutions.” 

However, Registrar of Madras University, P David Jawahar said, “If there is a consensus among the student community to remove soft drinks from campus we may go with it. But it is a long process as the university gives the food and beverages on contract basis and it may affect the cost factor of the stakeholders involved. Instead of students pressing for a ban, they can always voluntarily abstain so that those selling soft drinks will be forced to withdraw the product eventually.” 

Health experts also point out that it is a trend in the right direction. They claimed that soft drinks that are high in sugar content are one of the most common choices for children when it comes to beverages. Paediatrician Dr Sudha Rathna Prabhu says that there is evidence that non-communicable diseases like obesity are on the rise among children and adolescents and excessive consumption of aerated drinks that are also high on sugar are one of the reasons. 

“It may not be possible to keep fizzy drinks out of reach of children, but reducing the frequency of consumption is always possible. This can be ensured if parents inculcate a healthy eating habit in children from a young age.” Dr B Lakshmi, an orthodontist, says that the impact of excessive consumption of cola is also visible on oral health. 

“The cola touches the upper front teeth which gets exposed to the acidic drink. This affects the teeth enamel and leads to tooth decay,” she says.