Palm Beach Performance Assessment

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Informative Argumentative
Purpose, Focus, &
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FY22 Printing Grade 9 Prompt #94 Pilot

Read the “Labeling Foods and Drinks” passage set.

Labeling Foods and Drinks

Source 1: California Takes Fight to Soft Drink

Industry with Plan for Warning Labels
By Rory Carroll in Los Angeles

Campaigners against sugary drinks have opened a new front in California with a
proposal to label the drinks with warnings about obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.

Bill Monning, the state's senate majority leader, and an influential Democrat, has
introduced a bill which would require labels be placed on the front of containers or at the
point of purchase.

If passed, it will set a precedent in the United States and potentially transform public
health policy, according to supporters.

"The root motivation for this is the continued epidemic of preventable diabetes and
obesity in young people in California," Monning told the Guardian. The problem was not
just sodas, but sweet teas, sports drinks and energy drinks, he said.

"Scientific data is clear and unequivocal that the leading cause of bad caloric intake in
young people is sugar-sweetened beverages. We believe that the warning label is a
fundamental consumer right to know."

The measure would apply to beverages containing added sweeteners with at least 75
calories per 12 oz. The labels would read: "STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY
WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes,
and tooth decay."

Senate Bill 203, introduced last week, marked the latest salvo in the battle between
beverage companies and health campaigners, who compare it to the struggle to tax and
put health warnings on cigarettes.

Voters in Berkeley approved America's first tax on sugary beverages last November.
Mexico, which has its own obesity and diabetes epidemic, passed a soda tax in 2013.
However, heavy spending from the beverage industry, including $9.1m from the
American Beverage Association, helped defeat a similar ballot measure in San
Francisco.

The industry argued a tax would unfairly hit low-income consumers, who drink more
sugary sodas than wealthier people.

CalBev, which represents California's non-alcoholic beverage industry, branded the

proposed warning label a "flawed policy" that overlooked the multiple reasons for
obesity and diabetes, the fact sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages fell by
37% over the past decade, and that Americans consume nearly twice as many calories
from sweets and desserts than from sweetened beverages.
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[…]

"The epidemic has not subsided, the problem is still there," said Monning, who said the
drinks' impact on health care costs and insurance premiums were additional reasons to
curb consumption. The former law professor vowed to persist, and expressed hope New
York and other states would follow. "We're in it for the long haul. I think time is on our
side in terms of more and more public awareness of the hazards."

Corey Cook, a political science professor at the University of San Francisco who has
tracked the soda battles, agreed that the campaign had momentum but questioned
whether the bill would become law. "It's still pretty early in the evolution of this policy
issue."

As someone with diabetes, and the father of two young children, Cook said he had a
personal interest in the subject. "Diabetes is no fun. When I'm out and I see three and
five-year-olds having soda with dinner it makes me cringe. That's astonishing to me.
You sort of want to go over and say something (to the parents) but I resist."

A study published in the American Journal of Public Health last year said consumption
of sugary drinks may be linked to accelerated ageing [sic]. People who reported drinking
a 350ml bottle of fizzy drink per day had DNA changes typical of cells 4.6 years older.

Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown professor who specializes in public health law, said
warnings on California's sodas would probably have a marginal impact on consumption
in the short term but transform the debate. "It would put it on the radar of the entire
country: sugar is so dangerous that it requires a warning. That would be really
transformative."

[…]

He was not optimistic the senate bill will become law, but said over time public
sentiment will turn against sugary drinks, just as it did against tobacco. "The costs are
adding up. It's only going to snowball."

[…]
Theguardian.com 19 Feb 2015. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 July 2015. Words: 661, 1200-1300L

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 Source 2: San Francisco Panel Approves Soft Drink
Warning Label
SAN FRANCISCO -- The following information was released by the National
Association of Convenience Stores:

Seven months after local voters rejected San Francisco's proposed tax on sugary
drinks, city lawmakers changed tactics this week in hopes of curbing soft drink
consumption.

Reuters reports that a three-person panel of San Francisco supervisors voted on

Monday to advance a package of laws that zeros in on soda and other sugar-
sweetened beverages, including what would be the first "warning label" on these
products in the United States. "Drinking beverages with added sugar leads to obesity,
diabetes and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San
Francisco," the proposed warning label on the beverages would read.

The proposals would also seek to ban advertising of sugary drinks on city property and
ban city departments from purchasing sugar-sweetened beverages.

Supervisor Eric Mar alluded to the proposal as "round two in the battle against Big
Soda" after San Francisco voters rejected a proposed 2-cents-per-ounce soda tax in in
2014.

Lisa Katic, a representative for the American Beverage Association, told the San
Francisco panel that "important facts were missing from their discussion" on the sources
of obesity, such as inactivity, genetics and overconsumption of food items like pizza and
burgers. "When we get into warning collective audiences of people, it's ineffective," she
said. "People are tired of being told what they can't do and can't have."

The proposals now head to the full board for consideration.

"San Francisco Panel Approves Soft Drink Warning Label." States News Service, 4 June 2015. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 July
2015. Words: 229, 1300-1400L

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 Source 3: Labels on Packaged Foods, Calories on
Menus Encourage Healthier Eating
New Delhi Bureau

New research has indicated that labels on packaged foods such as nutrition facts, low-
sodium or fat-free as well as calorie counts on restaurant menus, have, to some extent,
encouraged healthier eating choices in people.

It also found that labelling reduced consumers' intake of calories by 6.6 per cent, total
fat by 10.6 per cent, and other unhealthy food options by 13 per cent. Labelling also
increased consumers' vegetable consumption by 13.5 per cent.

Obesity is on the rise in India, particularly among children. Overweight and obese
children are predisposed to lifestyle diseases later in life. It is thus important to
encourage healthy eating habits at a younger age.

A change in the food labelling policy may discourage the public from choosing such
foods products not only for themselves, but most importantly for their children.

Speaking about this, Dr. K. K. Aggarwal, president, Heart Care Foundation of India
(HCFI), said, "The health ministry has made it mandatory for some medicines to have a
red vertical line on their strips to sensitize the public to the fact that these medicines are
meant to be consumed only with the doctor's prescription."

"Along these lines, packages of all food products that contain high levels of sugar,
calories, salt and saturated fats should also carry a red dot or a red arrow pointing
upwards on the food label, which carries the nutritional content of that particular food
product as a symbol warning the consumer that the food product contains unhealthy
amounts of fats, sugar and salt. This will perhaps encourage people to opt for healthier
alternatives," he added.

[…]

Dr. Aggarwal, who is also group editor-in-chief, IJCP (Indian Journal of Clinical
Practice), said, "For people with diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndromes, eating
sugar needs to be restricted."

"Therefore, every patient must know the food labels where sugar is present. Most
people confuse sugar with only glucose. Malta contains maltose, table sugar contains
sucrose, fruits contain fructose, and glucose available in the pharmacy contains
glucose," he added.

"If eaten in excess, all forms of sugar can increase blood sugar in the body. They also
can cause insulin resistance if the sugar is taken in the form of refined sugar or is
rapidly absorbable form," Dr. Aggarwal said.

HCFI tips

[…]
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*Avoid foods that list multiple types of sugars near the beginning of the list. When
choosing products containing grains, opt for those that contain a whole grain near the
beginning of the list rather than refined grains

* Food labels can also help you become more familiar with standard serving sizes and
help with portion control. Measure out one serving of a food at a time, so you can
become familiar with what that looks like.
“Labels on packaged foods, calories on menus encourage healthier eating.” Food & Beverage News, 19 Dec. 2018. General
OneFile. Web. 12 Feb. 2019. Words: 447, 1400-1500L

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 Source 4: Can a Climate Label Work for Food?
By David Burrows

In March 2007, a new logo appeared on Walkers crisps. It showed the product's carbon
footprint—75g CO2e, encompassing everything from potato production to processing,
packaging, logistics and disposal. The label—initially on the UK's most popular variety
cheese and onion—was tiny, but this was big news, and grabbed headlines across the
world.

Raising awareness of carbon emissions is "the right thing to do," then Walkers chief
executive Neil Campbell said. "We hope this label will empower people to make
informed choices about the products they buy."

Of course, that would require a carbon label on every grocery product—and that was the
ambition. Coca-Cola, Innocent, Sainsbury's and Tate & Lyle also signed up to the pilot
scheme, while Tesco, sensing a rising tide in interest among consumers, promised to
put a carbon figure on its 70,000 products. In my notes from the time, there is a line
from The Carbon Trust, the organization behind the certification scheme. "Ultimately the
aspiration is that everything you can buy will have a carbon measure with it —75g is the
first number out there and there's not much context for it."

That quote still rings true more than a decade on, because the concept of carbon
labelling food never quite stuck. However, thanks to the latest stark analysis of climate
change from the UN, it's back on the radar.

"If you buy a washing machine, a fridge or a television in Europe, it comes with a
[mandatory energy efficiency] sticker," wrote Joseph Poore, an agriculture and
environment researcher at the University of Oxford, UK, recently. "So why has our food
system—which threatens 10,000 species with extinction, emits about 30% of
greenhouse gases, and drives 80% of our nitrogen and phosphorous pollution - only
ever had voluntary ecolabels?"

Walk down a supermarket aisle and it's easy to spot ethical labels like Fairtrade, or the
Marine Stewardship Council standard for sustainable seafood. Badges for sustainable
palm oil are harder to find […]

[…] Try[ing] to determine which food brands have a low environmental impact is pretty
much impossible. And the difference between two very similar products can be
significant, as a study that Poore co-authored shows. […]

Climate labels would allow consumers to tell these products apart, Poore tells just-food.
He wants to see a warts-and-all exercise, assessing the environmental impact of all
food and drink, the results of which would be displayed on-pack. This would have to be
mandatory, he says, with supermarket aisles illuminated with green, amber and red
labels depicting each product's water use, emissions, impact on biodiversity and
pesticide toxicity. […]

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In Europe, energy labelling, together with accompanying eco-design rules, has cut
carbon emissions by 7%, The European Commission says. Some 85% of consumers
use the energy label when purchasing. But would they buy into an environment label for
food?

[…]

Environmental issues are firmly back on the agenda. The damage done by food
production and the potential crisis should nothing be done is well known, says Giles
Bolton, responsible sourcing director at Tesco. […]

The plan is to reduce the environmental impact of the average UK shopping basket by
50%. Interestingly, research conducted for the retailer showed 59% of consumers are
confused about which foods count as "sustainable."

"Consumers absolutely want to move towards more sustainable consumption, but they
want it to be made very easy [-] that's the sweet spot for us," says Bolton.

[…]

The real benefit of a climate labelling system, insists Poore, is not that it changes
consumer behavior. "You change the whole production dynamic," he says, "and
companies compete on environmental performance rather than just on quality and
price." That's what happened with fridges—no one wanted a red label when everyone
else had green. "It would give retailers and manufacturers a kick," he adds. "You might
have ready meal manufacturers reducing their beef content to move out of the red zone,
for example."

“Can a climate label food for work?” Just-food.com, 16 Dec. 2018. General OneFile. Web. 12 Feb. 2019. Words: 642, 1200-1300L

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 Writing Prompt
Directions for Writing:

Labeling foods and drinks with warnings may have benefits. You have been
asked to write an informational essay for a health and environment-focused
website explaining the benefits that may result from putting warning labels on
certain types of foods and beverages. Your essay must be based on ideas and
information that can be found in the “Labeling Foods and Drinks” passage set.

Manage your time carefully so that you can

 read the passages;

 plan your response;
 write your response; and
 revise and edit your response.

Be sure to

 use evidence from multiple sources; and

 avoid overly relying on one source.

Your response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay. Write your

response in the space provided.

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