Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages: a survey of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours (original) (raw)
Related papers
Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes: Industry Response and Tactics
2018
The consumption of sugary beverages (SBs) has increasingly grown in many countries and is a significant contributor to the rise in obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In response, public health officials in multiple countries have pushed for implementing a tax on SBs in order to reduce their consumption. Today, many individuals, especially those of lower socioeconomic status, live in environments in which unhealthy foods and drinks are more accessible than healthier ones. The beverage industry has greatly contributed to the formation of these “obesogenic” environments through their extensive advertising activities and effective marketing strategies. With rising public awareness of sugar’s link to obesity, the industry has heavily invested in campaigns that seek to shift the blame away from their products and has aggressively opposed legislative efforts to pass an SB tax. This perspective will focus on explaining the rationale and necessity of an SB tax by highlighting the ...
2013
In this commentary, we argue for the implementation of a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax as a tool to help address the global obesity and diabetes epidemics. Consumption of SSBs has increased exponentially over the last several decades, a trend that has been an important contributor to the obesity and diabetes epidemics. Prior evidence demonstrates that a SSB tax will likely decrease SSB consumption without significantly increasing consumption of other unhealthy food or beverages. Further, this tax is unlikely to have effects on income inequality and should not contribute to weight-based discrimination. A SSB tax also should raise revenue for government entities that already pay, through health care expenditures and health programs, for the consequences of excess SSB consumption.
Journal of public health policy, 2013
Obesity is a global problem. Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are a leading contributor of added sugars in individual diets and thus to obesity. Governments have considered taxing SSBs to prevent obesity and generate revenue, but no 'one-size-fits-all' taxation approach exists. We describes three key considerations for governments interested in exploring beverage taxation: (i) what type of tax to apply plus how and where the tax is collected and presented to consumers;
Israel Journal of Health Policy Research
Background: Fiscal policies to fight obesity such as taxation of unhealthy foods or sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have gained considerable attention in recent years. Many studies modelling the impact of various magnitudes of taxes on SSB purchasing and their potential effects on various health outcomes have been published; however, legislation and implementation of such taxes have encountered many obstacles in the countries that have implemented them to date. We investigated the perceptions and views of key opinion leaders, policy makers and various other Israeli stakeholders on taxation of SSBs and unhealthy snacks. We also evaluated the challenges and barriers that may be expected for initiating such a policy. Methods: A qualitative study based on 39 in-depth interviews with Israeli stakeholders in the fields of health, nutrition, economics, public advocacy and policymaking. Results: All stakeholders viewed obesity as a combined societal and personal issue that should be under government responsibility. Only stakeholders from economic sectors thought that taxation of SSBs and unhealthy snacks would reduce their consumption, while the prevailing notion among non-economists was that such a tax would not be acceptable because the higher price would not decrease consumption. Concerns were raised that the tax would mostly affect individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Some of the stakeholders indicated that they would support such a tax only if its revenue would be directed to specific causes such as health-promoting plans. Potential barriers to taxation include: opposition of various sectors, technical and bureaucratic obstacles impeding tax implementation, difficulties in defining which products to tax, and opposition of the treasury to earmark tax revenue for health education. Conclusions: Taxation should be a part of a multipronged strategy rather than a sole measure for fighting obesity. Dedicating tax revenues to specific predefined causes should be considered, particularly towards health promotion activities, obesity treatment and prevention, education, and subsidies of healthy food.
Can Taxes on Calorically Sweetened Beverages Reduce Obesity?
Choices, 2010
Enlightened by the success of using tobacco taxes to curb smoking prevalence, many have argued that large beverage taxes are an attractive policy tool in the fight against obesity because, unlike many other foods, calorically sweetened beverages (CSBs) have little nutritional value. However, unlike tobacco which is harmful at any level of consumption, CSBs may be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet. In the United States on average, CSBs make up a large share of total daily calories-about 13% for adolescents and young adults (Figure 1). Thus, reducing the consumption of CSBs may substantially reduce caloric intake, as long as individuals do not compensate by adding calories from other foods or drinks. Existing studies of beverage demand establish that, consistent with economic theory, households do reduce the quantity of CSBs purchased in response to higher prices (Andreyeva, Long, and Brownell, 2010; Smith, Lin, and Lee, 2010; Finkelstein et al. forthcoming), which suggests that a tax-induced large increase in shelf price may be effective at reducing caloric intake. The question is how large of a tax-and in what form-is needed to cause a noticeable decline in the prevalence of overweight and obesity? An emerging body of economic research has attempted to address this question. Much previous research has referred to beverages sweetened with sugar or corn syrup as sugar-sweetened beverages. We refer to these drinks as CSBs to more accurately reflect the fact that not all contain sugar. Although some claim that a 10% tax on CSBs would likely "…be the single most effective measure to reverse
Public support for a sugar-sweetened beverage tax and pro-tax messages in a Mid-Atlantic US state
Public Health Nutrition, 2014
ObjectiveTo examine the characteristics of supporters and opponents of a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax and to identify pro-tax messages that resonate with the public.DesignA survey was administered by telephone in February 2013 to assess public opinion about a penny-per-ounce tax on SSB. Support was also examined for SSB consumption reduction and pro-tax messages. Individual characteristics including sociodemographics, political affiliation, SSB consumption behaviours and beliefs were explored as predictors of support using logistic regression.SettingA representative sample of voters was recruited from a Mid-Atlantic US state.SubjectsThe sample included 1000 registered voters.ResultsFindings indicate considerable support (50 %) for an SSB tax. Support was stronger among Democrats, those who believe SSB are a major cause of childhood obesity and those who believe childhood obesity warrants a societal intervention. Belief that a tax would be effective in lowering obesity rates wa...
2010 Annual Meeting, July 25- …, 2010
Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages has been proposed as a means to reduce calorie intake, improve diet and health, and generate revenue that governments can use to address the obesitycaused health and economic burden. Two beverage demand systems were estimated using retail purchase data for high-income and low-income households. Using the estimated demand elasticities we examined the impacts of a hypothetical 20-percent effective tax rate (or about 0.5 cent per ounce) on beverage consumption, calorie intake, body weight, and tax revenue and burden. Our results suggest that such a tax would induce an average reduction of 34 and 40 calories per day among adults and children, respectively. These calorie reductions could translate to 3.6 and 4.2 pounds of weight reductions for adults and children and hence reduce the obesity rate from 33.5 percent to 30.8 percent for adults and from 16.1 percent to 13.4 percent for children. Tax revenue is estimated to total $5.8 billion in 2007. The tax burden represents about one percent of per-capita food and beverage spending and is regressive. JEL Classification System: C32; D12; Q18 Alston J., Chalfant J., Piggott N., 2001. Incorporating demand shifters in the almost ideal demand system. Economic Letters 70, 73-78 Andreyeva T., Long N., Brownell K., 2010. The impact of food prices on consumption: A systematic review of research on price elasticity of demand for food. American Journal of Public Health 100, 216-222. Bergtold J., E. Akobundu, and E.B. Peterson. 2004. "The FAST method: Estimating unconditional demand elasticities for processed foods in the presence of fixed effects," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 29(2):276-95. Berndt ER and NE Savin. 1975. Estimation and hypothesis testing in singular equation systems with autoregressive disturbances. Econometrica 43, 937-956.
Insights on the Influence of Sugar Taxes on Obesity Prevention Efforts
Current Nutrition Reports
Purpose of Review This review will present the latest evidence on the impacts of sugar taxes on obesity with a focus on sugarsweetened beverages (SSB). Recent Findings Evidence of direct impacts of SSB taxation policies on obesity prevalence continues to be limited. Natural experiments involving SSB taxation policies implemented in Mexico and Berkley, CA, indicate that this type of intervention alters beverage consumption patterns. Naturalistic evidence in combination with modeling studies suggests that SSB taxation is a viable anti-obesity policy. However, researchers and public health practitioners need to be vigilant of industry tactics to curtail SSB lowering efforts. Summary To maximize the impacts of SSB taxation, it should be combined with interventions that increase access to nonsweetened beverages, educate consumers about alternative healthy beverages, and explore taxation of other non-nutritive foods and beverages. Furthermore, both intended and unintended consequences of interventions should be closely monitored.
2018
In their recent article Roache and Gostin outline why governments and public health advocates should embrace soda taxes. The evidence is strong and continues to grow: such taxes can change consumer behavior, generate significant revenue and incentivize product reformulation. In essence, such taxes are an important and now well-established instrument of fiscal and public health policy. In this commentary we expand on their arguments by considering how the worldwide adoption of such taxes might be further accelerated. First, we identify where in the world taxes have been implemented to date and where the untapped potential remains greatest. Second, drawing upon recent case study research on country experiences we describe several conditions under which governments may be more likely to make taxation a political priority in the future. Third, we consider how to help strengthen the technical and legal capacities of governments to design and effectively administer taxes, with emphasis on low-and middle-income countries. We expect the findings to be most useful to public health advocates and policy-makers seeking to promote healthier diets and good nutrition. Citation: Baker P, Jones A, Thow AM. Accelerating the worldwide adoption of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: strengthening commitment and capacity: Comment on " The untapped power of soda taxes: incentivizing consumers, generating revenue, and altering corporate behavior.