WHO: All Countries Should Tax Sugary Drinks to Curb Obesity

Amy Taylor October 31, 2016

All governments should put a heavy tax on sugary drinks to curb the rising rates of obesity and diabetes worldwide, announces WHO.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said a 20 per cent tax increase would be equivalent to 20 per cent reduction in the consumption of sugar drinks. Experts say cutting down sugary beverages can help fight obesity and diabetes by decreasing excessive weight. But they warn that salt and fat in processed foods are also to blame.

“We are now in a place where we can say there is enough evidence to move on this and we encourage countries to implement effective tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to prevent obesity,” said Temo Waqanivalu from the department of Non-communicable Diseases and Health Promotion of WHO.

In the report published by WHO, it was found that obesity has doubled worldwide between 1980 and 2014. Also, 11 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women were worldwide were classified as obese. In total, these are some 500 million people.

The report shows that increasing taxes and subsidies influence purchasing behaviour and could be used to curb consumption of sweet drinks.

“This is tax on sugary drinks which is really by definition all types of beverages containing free sugars and this includes soft drinks, fruit drinks, sachet mixes, cordials, energy and sports drinks, flavoured milks, breakfast drinks, even 100 percent fruit juices,” Waqanivalu said.

If people have to follow the guidelines in sugar consumption, the WHO said they needed to roughly halve the amount of sugar they consume to lower risks of obesity and tooth decay. They add that sugar should make up for not more than 10 per cent of our daily energy intake, although 5 per cent is even better.

Source of this article:

WHO Says All Countries Should Tax Sugary Drinks to Curb Obesity

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