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Coroner: Soft drinks may need health warnings
Source: Agencies |
February 14, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A FOOD industry association in New Zealand yesterday rejected a coroner's call to add health warnings to soft-drink labels following the 2010 death of a woman who drank about 7.6 liters of Coca-Cola a day.
Coroner David Crerar issued a final report on Tuesday into the death of 31-year-old Natasha Harris, concluding that the mother of eight died from a heart attack. He said the large amount of Coca-Cola she drank likely led to metabolic imbalances that gave rise to her heart problems, adding that Coke was likely a "substantial factor" in her death.
But New Zealand Food & Grocery Council Chief Executive Katherine Rich said "there isn't a labeling regime in the world" that could have prevented the death of somebody who drank the equivalent of 30 cans of Coke a day.
The New Zealand branch of the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest beverage maker, disputed the coroner's findings, noting that experts could not agree on the most likely cause of Harris' death.
Crerar recommended that soft-drink makers consider including caffeine levels on the labels and warnings about the ill health effects if the drinks are consumed in excessive quantities.
Under New Zealand's food labeling system, warnings are mandatory on drinks with caffeine levels higher than 145 milligrams per kilogram. That covers many energy drinks, but not most soft drinks.
Rich said the huge volume of Coca-Cola that Harris drank meant she couldn't receive adequate nutrients from food.
"It doesn't matter what the food is. If it's consumed in excess, there will be ill health effects," Rich said.
At a 2011 inquest, Vivienne Hodgkinson, the mother of Harris' boyfriend, said Harris always needed to have Coca-Cola, and that if she ran out she would "get the shakes, withdrawal symptoms; be angry, on edge and snappy."
Coroner David Crerar issued a final report on Tuesday into the death of 31-year-old Natasha Harris, concluding that the mother of eight died from a heart attack. He said the large amount of Coca-Cola she drank likely led to metabolic imbalances that gave rise to her heart problems, adding that Coke was likely a "substantial factor" in her death.
But New Zealand Food & Grocery Council Chief Executive Katherine Rich said "there isn't a labeling regime in the world" that could have prevented the death of somebody who drank the equivalent of 30 cans of Coke a day.
The New Zealand branch of the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Company, the world's largest beverage maker, disputed the coroner's findings, noting that experts could not agree on the most likely cause of Harris' death.
Crerar recommended that soft-drink makers consider including caffeine levels on the labels and warnings about the ill health effects if the drinks are consumed in excessive quantities.
Under New Zealand's food labeling system, warnings are mandatory on drinks with caffeine levels higher than 145 milligrams per kilogram. That covers many energy drinks, but not most soft drinks.
Rich said the huge volume of Coca-Cola that Harris drank meant she couldn't receive adequate nutrients from food.
"It doesn't matter what the food is. If it's consumed in excess, there will be ill health effects," Rich said.
At a 2011 inquest, Vivienne Hodgkinson, the mother of Harris' boyfriend, said Harris always needed to have Coca-Cola, and that if she ran out she would "get the shakes, withdrawal symptoms; be angry, on edge and snappy."
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