Drink policy is all fizz.

Byline: The Register-Guard

It's encouraging when industries respond to consumers' health concerns. For such responses to be credible, however, they must involve meaningful changes that do more than the minimum to address the issues.

Unfortunately, the American Beverage Association's new policy curbing soft drink sales in schools does little to advance the fight against childhood obesity. It scores points as a public relations ploy but strikes out as a nutritional strategy.

The beverage association represents the soft drink industry, including giants Coca-Cola and Pepsico. Its new voluntary, nonenforceable policy is undoubtedly intended to get out in front of the growing national effort to improve nutrition in public schools without letting go of the estimated 56 percent to 85 percent of schoolchildren who consume at least one soft drink daily.

The policy eliminates all sales of regular soda, diet soda and sugary drinks in elementary schools. In middle schools, regular soda sales will occur only when school isn't in session.

In high schools, standard soda pops will constitute no more than half the vending machine selections. In the other half, Coke, Pepsi and other sodas will be replaced by bottled water, 100 percent juice, sports drinks, iced teas and juice drinks.

The elementary school ban is little more than a marketing gimmick destined to have negligible impact on student health or on the beverage companies' bottom lines. Very few Oregon elementary schools even have vending machines, and Coca-Cola and Pepsico already had policies in place preventing soft drink sales to elementary schools.

Prospects for meaningful improvement are better in the association's middle school policy, which restricts sales of full-calorie soda and juice drinks containing 5 percent or less real juice to after-school hours. Studies indicate that 28 percent of current vending choices in middle schools are for regular soda, which has roughly 250 calories in a 20-ounce bottle.

In high schools, where most student soft drink purchases occur, the new policy does little to alter the status quo. Research by the nutrition advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest found that 45 percent of student vending machine purchases in the 24 states surveyed were regular and diet sodas.

Furthermore, many of the soda alternatives represent only modest improvements in nutritional content. Sports drinks, such as Coca-Cola's Powerade and Pepsi's Gatorade, have about half the calories of soda, but their high sodium content and sugar syrup base make them poor choices for sedentary students. Flavored fruit drinks and sweetened ice teas simply offer slightly fewer empty calories than sodas.

The new policy ignores other serious problems. Serving sizes have gotten out of control, up from 6.5 ounces in the 1950s to 20-ounce bottles today. That's ridiculous. And industry vending contracts with school districts that provide financial incentives for schools to sell more soft drinks ought to be for- bidden.

The soft drink industry isn't to blame for a childhood obesity crisis that places one-third of children born since 2000 at risk for diabetes. But any serious effort to improve children's nutrition must include the food and beverage choices they're offered in schools.

Under the beverage association's new policy, far too much opportunity remains for students to make unhealthy choices.