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Villagers can't kick soda pop habit

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NATIVE HEALTH: A gallon of milk can cost $9, and fresh water is a rarity.

"I couldn't imagine that it was even worse than it is today," said Troy Ritter, senior environmental health consultant for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.

"When I go to the village store, sometimes there's not a lot there, but you always have soda pop."

It's clear-and-clean drinking water that can be hard to come by in rural homes. In about one out of five villages, fewer than 10 percent of homes have running water, according to the consortium.

"Many of the villages that have highest soda pop consumption -- probably the majority -- don't have running water. Or if they do have running water, it's not drinkable," said state Rep. Mary Nelson, D-Bethel.
TravG73

4 responses // Villagers can't kick soda pop habit

  • Pop is probably one of the most dangerous fluids in existence today. People think it is harmless, so they blindly consume large quantities.
    sueathome
  • High fructose corn syrup is bad. Refined sugar has pork in it and is close to being cocaine.
    zealotohio
  • Where is Vitamin water when you need it?
    TravG73
  • In 2006/2007 I was a pilot flying people and cargo to and from various villages in Western Alaska. Often we would carry loads comprised almost entirely of soda pop. Here's a picture of me next to one of those loads in Kotlik, AK. Most of these villages were home to less than 700 residents, yet we would often make several "junk food runs" a day. That isn't meant to be a commentary on the residents, but the cost and availability of alternative food.

    Having lived and worked in Emmonak, AK for six months, I can vouch for the fact that food is exceedingly expensive, and fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to find. The boxes of pop, like most of the food shipped to the bush was sent by way of the USPS Bypass Mail program, in an attempt to keep shipping costs for food down.
    DistantPlanet

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