Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the Drop the Pop Campaign?

    The Drop the Pop campaign was developed in order to increase awareness about unhealthy eating habits and how these could be improved. The Campaign works with schools and other partners to promote interest in healthy eating and healthy lifestyles as well as to foster longer-term change.

  2. Why is the Drop the Pop Campaign more important than ever?

    Childhood obesity is becoming a serious issue across Canada and is considered an international epidemic. More than one in four children and youth in Canada are overweight or obese (http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/hl-mvs/framework-cadre/intro-eng.php).

    Sugar sweetened beverages, such as pop, have been linked to the development of childhood obesity as well as tooth decay and negative effects on bone health. Reducing the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages (such as regular pop, juice crystals, high-sugar energy drinks, etc) is an important strategy to reverse the obesity epidemic.

    Some statistics about pop (sugary sweetened beverages or SSBs) consumption raise serious concers1,2:

    • Soft drink consumption in Canada doubled between 1971 and 2001.
    • Canadian children, including toddlers, drink sugar-sweetened beverages although boys drink more sugary beverages than girls.
    • In 2002 soft drink consumption in Canada reached 120 liters per person per year, or about 60 large bottles.
    • In the United States in 2005 – 2006, American adults consumed an average of 46 gallons of SSBs a year.
    • Sugar sweetened beverage consumption by youth aged 2 – 18 represented 87 calories per day (1977 – 1978), by 2005 – 2006 this number increased to 254 calories per day, an increase of 75% in caloric intake (US data).
    • A 2004 study found that soft drinks are the largest single contributor of caloric intake in the US;
    • Sugar sweetened beverage consumption is the highest among groups that are at greatest risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
    • Women who regularly consume SSBs have a higher risk of coronary heart disease.

    This year, think about what you can do to change the trend of increased sugary beverage consumption 1) at home 2) at school 3) in your community 4) with your friends 5) throughout the territories and beyond. Take action to reduce the amount of sugary beverages consumed. See below (#5) for action ideas that could be taken to reduce the amount of pop and other ‘junk’ people eat.

  3. How long has Drop the Pop been running?

    Drop the Pop has been running since 2006. The campaign started in Nunavut. All three Northern Territories now have Drop the Pop Campaigns. Participation in the NWT started with 12 schools in 2006. In 2011, 36 organizations (primarily schools) participated. This year, we hope that every school in the NWT participates!

  4. Who is involved with this program?

    Schools are the primary target of the program and are encouraged to apply for funding to conduct a wide variety of healthy eating activities in their schools and classrooms.

  5. Why the theme ‘Spread the Word’’ this year?

    The theme this year was recommended by our partners. Since this is the 7th year of Drop the Pop, it is timely to document on video what has been accomplished and to recognize those who have worked hard to make positive changes and to let others know all of the great things schools do to promote healthy eating. We also know that more and more people watch videos and use social media. We are very interested in encouraging all of you to take an active role when it comes to healthy eating. Dropping the Pop needs to involve the general public, the private sector, schools, parents, teachers, community leaders, government and non-government organizations. Here are some ideas that could be helpful:

    • Be a leader and role model! Drop the Pop at home, at work and at school, not only during Drop the Pop but all year long!  Provide a video documenting this kind of action.
    • Encourage schools, workplaces and recreation facilities to only provide healthy choices and get rid of “junk” once and for all. The NWT Legislative Assembly did this a couple of years ago, showing great leadership. Check with your territorial representative to find out more about how they were able to “Drop the Pop”
    • Ask your store manager to provide a greater variety of healthier options at a reasonable cost. With the Nutrition North Canada Program running in some of the most northerly communities there will be more opportunities to buy healthier foods, such as milk, fruits and vegetables. Store managers bring in food that sells, so we have to create a demand for healthier food options at reasonable costs.
    • Support (and document) actions that improve access to healthy foods and improving cooking skills. Join, or create, cooking classes in order to learn how to cook healthy meals from scratch or by using a combination of traditional and store-bought foods. These skills help people eat healthy foods at a lower cost. Take the time to cook and enjoy healthy meals as a family. Down the road, this will also prevent chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
    • Discuss with your territorial or federal representatives the marketing of unhealthy foods to children. Schools in particular are favourite venues for brand building by food companies. Legislative bans on tobacco advertising have been successful and this can set a useful precedent for regulating unhealthy food marketing to children. Legislation exists in Quebec and Sweden that protects children from marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages (sources: www.childrensfoodcampaign.org.uk; http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cphorsphc-respcacsp/2009/cpho-acsp07-eng.php; http://search.who.int/)
    • Promote healthy foods for fund-raisers, such as milk and milk products as has been done at Sisson’s School.
    • Create more positions for student ambassadors (as has been done at Weledeh School). Create partnerships with the local community and other organizations in order to address problematic issues through advocacy and awareness.

1Coalition du Poids, http://www.cqpp.qc.ca/en/about-us/mission
2Rudd Centre for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University, Fall 2009, http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/reports/RuddReportSoftDrinkTaxFall2009.pdf