A recent investigation by the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail has revealed a secret campaign by the beverage industry to fight the removal of juice from the country's new food guide.
The Globe and Mail: The Big Squeeze: Inside the fight over juice in Canada's food guideThe report says an intense lobbying effort by the beverage industry is trying to make it seem like a grassroots movement is defending juice as both a healthy food choice and as an important source of jobs for Canadians.
The current Canadian Food Guide, not updated since 2007, says that half a cup of 100% juice can be a substitute for a piece of whole fruit. The Canadian government has announced proposals to remove 100% juice from the food guide and to require prominent labeling of the sugar content in all juice.
An 8-oz glass of juice can have the same amount of sugar as the equivalent amount of soda pop.
The story notes the beverage lobby has been orchestrating letter-writing campaigns and behind closed doors meetings "to create the appearance of a grassroots movement and a larger chorus of voices than actually exists" to defend juice as part of a "healthy balanced diet." Dr. David Hammond, a professor of public health at the University of Waterloo said:
I would say the juice industry is acting equally as forcefully as tobacco companies to protect their interests.
