New partnership aims to increase awareness of the
importance of reducing consumption of sugar in
beverages.
VIBE and Diabetes New Zealand have
announced a new partnership. As a key partner to Diabetes
NZ, VIBE will work with the organisation to drive awareness
among Kiwis of how healthy lifestyle habits can help play a
critical role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and the
management of all types of diabetes.
Diabetes NZ Chief
Executive Heather Verry welcomes VIBE onboard,
saying
‘Limiting sugar intake is pivotal to
improving health outcomes in our community, reducing the
risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and ultimately the
long-term complications that can develop later in
life.’
In New Zealand, close to five percent of
the population has been diagnosed with diabetes
(predominantly type 2 diabetes), according to the 2021
Social and Economic Cost of Type 2 Diabetes Report.[1]
According to the report, Type 2 diabetes is increasingly
being diagnosed in young people and is related to obesity.
It predicted that the number of people with type 2 diabetes
in New Zealand will increase by 70-90 percent within 20
years unless urgent action is taken, suggesting that a focus
on prevention is needed to manage New Zealand’s largest
and fastest growing health crisis outside of the global
pandemic.
Stefan Crooks, Managing Director of VIBE,
says, ‘We’re delighted to be working with Diabetes NZ. I
have type 2 diabetes myself, so it’s important to me that
all the ingredients used have been signed off by Diabetes
NZ.’
Crooks says VIBE was born from a conversation
about improving the products their existing school food
supply business offered.
‘VIBE was created to
provide a great tasting alternative to sugary drinks – one
that allows kids to enjoy a carbonated drink full of flavour
but with zero sugar.’
As VIBE is now available
at schools and kura across Aotearoa, Verry says, ‘This
allows for strong opportunities to educate school principals
on the importance of nutrition intervention, as they have
the power to influence children’s knowledge and
behaviour.’
The New Zealand Health Survey 2018/2019
found that approximately one in nine children (aged two to
14) were obese, with an over-representation in Māori and
Pacific communities.
Crooks says, ‘Today’s
consumers are looking for products like VIBE that support
their emotional, indulgent, and physical health needs,
ranging from relaxation to hydration. They want less sugar
– no question. But they also don’t want to sacrifice
taste.’
He says VIBE concentrates on the quality of
its natural flavours, which are made from New Zealand
ingredients.
‘Consumers are not only demanding
functional drinks that don’t compromise on taste,
they’re also looking for companies that adhere to a
sustainable ethos. That’s why there’s no plastic used on
VIBE products. Our clear can design and branding highlights
the aluminium-can packaging and encourages
recycling.’
Diabetes NZ is looking forward to
extending the messaging about good nutrition in partnership
with VIBE.
VIBE is available in schools and in New
World, Pak’nSave, and Four Square stores. It’s also
online at vibedrinks.co.nz.
Notes
to Editors
About Diabetes New Zealand
The
prevalence of diabetes in New Zealand and the chronic
downstream health complications marks diabetes as this
country’s most serious long-term health challenge. It is
of pandemic proportions. Some 278,000 New Zealanders suffer
from diabetes. A further 100,000 people are predicted to
have pre-diabetes or are at risk. The incidence of diabetes
is unabated with 40 people a day developing diabetes. The
personal and social costs are enormous, as is the vast cost
to our health system. Together with whānau and family, we
estimate that over 1 million people in New Zealand are
affected by diabetes – 20% of the nation.
Diabetes
New Zealand is the charity that supports people with
diabetes to help them live full and active lives. We provide
leadership for all New Zealanders in ways that deliver
impactful change and convert burdens to the freedom to live
healthy, active and fulfilling lives. We aim to empower
people with diabetes and their whānau. We facilitate peer
group networks and champion and advocate on behalf of people
with diabetes to help achieve our vision: Life free
of diabetes and all its complications and
burdens.
Join us on Facebook and
Instragram.
About
VIBE
Vibe is a New Zealand brand specialising in
healthy drinks and snacks. We don’t believe in having to
choose between indulgence or a healthy modern lifestyle, we
strive to combine both.
Looking for more? You’re in
the right place, join us on Facebook
and Instagram.
About
Diabetes:
Diabetes is an enduring disease that occurs
when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when
the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that acts like a
key to let glucose from the food we eat pass from the bloody
stream into the cells in the body to produce
energy.
There are three main types of
diabetes:
Type 1 diabetes is usually
caused by an auto-immune reaction where the body’s defence
system attacks the cells that produce insulin. People with
type 1 diabetes produce very little or no insulin. People of
any age can be affected, but it usually develops in children
or young adults. People with type 1 diabetes need injections
of insulin every day to control the levels of glucose in
their blood.
Type 2 diabetes accounts
for at least 90% of all cases of diabetes. It can occur at
any age and remain undetected for many years. It is often
diagnosed following a complication or routine blood test.
Often people with type 2 diabetes can initially manage their
condition through exercise and diet, however, over time some
people will require oral drugs and or insulin. 1 in 4 New
Zealanders is estimated to have prediabetes, when the
glucose in your blood is higher than normal but not high
enough to be deemed diabetes.
Gestational
diabetes: This occurs when a pregnant woman has
high levels of glucose in her blood. Gestational diabetes is
temporary and usually goes after pregnancy. However, a woman
who has had gestational diabetes has a 50-60% increased risk
of developing type 2 diabetes.
[1]
Social
and Economic Cost of Type 2 Diabetes Report, conducted
by PwC and funded by Diabetes NZ, March
2021
© Scoop Media
Discussion about this post