Auckland schoolgirls helped put Ribena in court

New Zealand: "Two Auckland schoolgirls are surprised a science project they worked on more than two years ago has helped land the makers of Ribena in court in two countries.

"Glaxo Smith Kline yesterday admitted it may have misled Australian consumers about the Vitamin C content of its blackcurrant drink.

"In another case the company will appear in the Auckland District Court next week on similar charges from New Zealand's Commerce Commission.

"Pakuranga College students Anna Devathasan and Jenny Suo compared the amount of Vitamin C in different juices in 2004, sparking the watchdog's attention."
Source

More than 25 years ago I often gave Ribena is a bottle to my baby son, thinking I was giving him good nutrition, and totally unaware who made it. As many parents around that time found out, his teeth rotted out of his head. Since then it has become common knowledge that kids should avoid this sugary product, but I think that it was still believed that it was chock-full of Vitamin C. I dips me lid to the schoolgirls whose research revealed that it is not. The question is, what were the public health authorities doing all these years, that two kids can discover such important material?

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Tagged: health, science, new+zealand