22 January 2019
ABC News

A new public health campaign that mocks the glamour of soft drink advertisements is urging Australians to consider the impact of sugary drinks on their teeth.

The Rethink Sugary Drink health campaign features young people drinking red cans of a drink that appears to contain cola, before flashing smiles that reveal rotten teeth.

The online-only campaign will be shared on social media by health and community organisations.

The Australian Dental Association (ADA), Diabetes Australia and the Cancer Council are among eight groups using the campaign to call for:

• A levy on sugary drinks to increase prices by 20 per cent
• A government-supported social marketing campaign to highlight the health effects of sugary drinks
• Restrictions to reduce children's exposure to marketing of sugary drinks
• Restrictions on the sale of sugary drinks in schools, government institutions and at children's sport events
• State and local government policies to reduce the availability of sugary drinks in workplaces, healthcare facilities and other public places
• Promotion and easy access to fluoridated tap water

Another 11 health and community organisations have backed the awareness campaign.

ADA Victorian branch CEO Matthew Hopcraft said the campaign was focused on dental health because the effect of sugary drinks on teeth can be "immediate".

He said the campaign was designed to play on the marketing used by soft drink manufacturers, which associates their products with sport, fun and glamour.

"When we see people who are consuming up to 1.5 litres of soft drink a day we see dental effects, and some dramatic tooth decay," he said.

"The impact it has on someone [is] not only through pain, but also difficulty eating, difficulty sleeping."

He said he hoped the advertisements might resonate with younger people who may not respond to generic health warnings but are "image-conscious".

Campaign 'misguided', drink makers say
The Australian Beverages Council, which represents soft drink manufacturers, said the advertisement's focus on soft drink as the main cause of tooth decay was "misguided".

"The work that these groups are doing to raise awareness of improving overall health should be acknowledged," the council's CEO Geoff Parker said.

"However, just focusing in on a small and declining part of the diet, and that is sugar in soft drinks, is misguided and is not going to help anyone when it comes to improving overall dental health."

He said there was "no evidence" to support the view that increasing taxes on soft drinks would improve obesity or dental health.

He said a more effective solution was for food manufacturing companies to "ramp up" the reformulation of their products to reduce salt, fat and sugar content.

Last year, the council announced the soft drink industry was committed to reduce its sugar use by 20 per cent by 2025, a move backed by the Federal Government.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) criticised that move as a "diversion" from the real issue of the volume of soft drinks consumed by Australians.

Read The ABC News article