Sugar high: Food watchdog wants Efteling to stop offering unlimited soft drink refills
Foodwatch wants Efteling to stop offering unlimited soft drink refills. The food watchdog received multiple reports from visitors saying that the theme park encourages people to consume an excessive amount of sugary drinks.
Through the D'n Dorstlesser concept, Efteling visitors can buy a reusable cup for €17 and refill it all day at dispensing locations in the park. “With this system, you can consume more calories from soft drinks in a single day than your entire daily energy requirement, without having eaten a single bite,” Foodwatch said.
But it goes beyond having too much sugar on a day out, the watchdog said. “It concerns a system that turns unlimited refills into an attractive revenue model in an environment full of children. It not only allows overconsumption, but actually rewards it.”
According to Foodwatch, it also stimulates brand loyalty at a young age. “Children who refill, taste, and mix all day long become familiar with a single brand early on, and that preference often lasts a lifetime.”
This is not the first time Foodwatch has raised concerns about soft drink promotion at Efteling. The watchdog has a major issue with how much Coca-Cola, one of Efteling’s “quality partners,” is promoted at the theme park. “Coca-Cola is incorporated throughout the park in the theming and in food advertisements, and D'n Dorstlesser adds to that on top.”
Foodwatch pointed out that in 2020, Efteling was one of the first theme parks and day attractions to sign the Healthy Outing Ambition. Efteling director Fons Jurgens said at the time: "A healthy future starts with the youth. We therefore consider it important to place a bit more emphasis on healthy nutrition, especially when it comes to children."
The watchdog is calling on the theme park to keep its word. Stop offering unlimited soft drinks and review its “quality partners” arrangement, which currently consists mainly of sweets, soft drinks, and ice cream producers.
