Dental News - Queensland government removes sugary drinks from its facilities

Dental Tribune International

Thu. 11. July 2019

save

QUEENSLAND, Australia: After having made a commitment to ban the promotion of unhealthy food and drinks from the advertising spaces it owns, the Queensland government has now removed sugary drinks from its hospitals and health clinics. The move has been made to help fight dental caries and to contribute to the improvement of people’s overall health.

The directive to make sugary drinks unavailable in its health facilities and simultaneously promote water as the beverage of choice for patients, staff and visitors is part of the programme outlined in the document A Better Choice: Healthy Food and Drink Supply Strategy for Queensland Health Facilities. The programme seeks to promote healthier food and drink options and improve the range, availability and promotion of healthy foods and drinks and, at the same time, limit the availability of less healthy options.

The removal of sugary drinks from health facilities in line with this strategy has been welcomed by the Rethink Sugary Drink alliance of 19 leading health and community organisations, which includes the Australian Dental Association. Jane Martin, Executive Manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition, applauded the health implications of the move. “Sugary drinks, like sports drinks, soft drinks and energy drinks, are a contributor to tooth decay, weight gain, obesity, and serious long-term health problems, but ironically they are readily available in our hospitals and health facilities,” she noted.

Sugary drinks are those that contain added sugar, cream, ice cream, sorbet, gelato and/or confectionery. Some examples of these are soft drinks and energy drinks. The removal of sugary drinks in Queensland Health’s RED category is accompanied by a commitment to sell artificially sweetened drinks and flavoured milk in the AMBER category in small sizes only. Even then, sugary drinks still pose a risk to peoples’ oral health if consumed frequently.

Rethink Sugary Drink is encouraging other states and territories to follow Queensland’s example and recommends the following measures to tackle sugary drink consumption:
(1) a public education campaign supported by the government that highlights the health impacts of consuming drinks high in sugar;

(2) comprehensive mandatory restrictions by state governments on the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages at schools, government institutions, children’s sports events and places frequented by children;

(3) increased availability of free water;

(4) creation of state and local government policies that reduce the availability of sugary drinks in workplaces, government institutions, healthcare settings, sport and recreation facilities, and other public places.

Tags:

To post a reply please login or register

NZ government considers better labelling of sugary drinks

AUCKLAND, New Zealand: The current state of the oral health of some New Zealanders has been likened to that of developing countries. With many contributing ...

Health labels may deter people from buying sugary drinks, study finds

MELBOURNE, Australia: In an effort to deter people from smoking, cigarette packets are labelled with warnings and graphic images. In a new study, ...

Singapore to ban advertisement of certain sugary drinks

SINGAPORE: Excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) can have a deleterious effect not just on oral health but on systemic health ...

New research on sugar-laden drinks could influence sugar tax debate

SYDNEY, Australia: Researchers from the University of Sydney have revealed that one in seven adolescents are drinking more than two cups of sugar-sweetened ...

UK government rejects energy drink ban for children

LONDON, UK: After a period of public consultation, advisors to the UK government have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to warrant a ban on the ...

Study finds sugary drinks not necessarily linked to childhood obesity

NOTTINGHAM, UK: Given what we know about the relationship between rates of obesity and sugar consumption, it would seem to be common sense that children who...

World Cup: Dentists warn against sugary drinks ads targeting kids

LONDON, UK: In light of the 2018 FIFA World Cup currently on in Russia, the British Dental Association (BDA) has cautioned that the unprecedented ...

Sugary drink taxes decrease consumption of beverages, study finds

WELLINGTON, New Zealand: Increased intake of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease,...

Poor water quality may be factor in high consumption of sugary drinks

CANBERRA, Australia: The poor state of Australians’ oral health has received much needed attention over recent years. For some Aboriginal and Torres ...

Results from research into soft drinks cause for concern

DUBLIN, Ireland: The negative impact of sugar-laden drinks on oral health is something dentists have known about for many years. However, that these drinks ...

Education

Live webinar
Tue. 23 September 2025
10:00 am EST (New York)