Taking the fizz out of obesity

Your recent article “Sweet Nothing” (MW July 6) implied a link between soft drinks and child obesity and criticised Robinson’s High Juice (incorrectly referred to as High Fruit) for using a “mother nature” figure in a forest to push the virtues of a sugary additive to water” to children.

Not only is this argument fundamentally flawed, it is also based on incorrect information.

Firstly High Juice is a successful brand targeting, in fact, adults. The advertising campaign to which you refer is aimed at adults, as anyone would know from looking at the media schedule.

Your psychologist is therefore quite wrong in his interpretation of the commercial.

Secondly there is, in fact, no direct link between sugar consumption and obesity. Obesity has been on the increase for several decades, while sugar consumption has remained static. Most evidence suggests that a diet that is too high in fat is more likely to contribute to obesity.

Thirdly, Britvic Soft Drinks, like most soft drinks companies, offers consumers a choice, with no added sugar variants across our range.

In the case of Robinson’s, this applies to both our adult ranges, such as High Juice, and our children’s brands.

Andrew Marsden

Marketing director

Britvic Soft Drinks

London W1Y