Cancer Council, Diabetes Australia and the National Heart Foundation of Australia have recommended the government considers introducing a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks as a part of a suite of interventions to reduce their consumption.
A number of European countries have introduced taxes on unhealthy food and beverage products.
France is in the process of introducing a 'soda tax', which will work out at around a euro per container, and Hungary introduced a 'fat tax' in 2011 on food and beverages that are high in fat, sugar and salt.
Most notably, Denmark introduced a 'fat tax' in 2011 and then scrapped it barely a year later, claiming it was costly and had failed to change Danish eating habits.
The fat tax and the extension of the chocolate tax – the so-called sugar tax – has been criticised for increasing prices for consumers, increasing companies' administrative costs and putting Danish jobs at risk,” the Danish tax ministry said.
At the same time, it is believed that the fat tax has, to a lesser extent, contributed to Danes travelling across the border to make purchases.
“Against this background, the government and the Red Green Party have agreed to abolish the fat tax and cancel the planned sugar tax.”
In France, a number of beverage companies have opposed the tax. Coca-Cola spoke out against the tax and suspended a 17 million euro investment in one of its plants in the south of France.
The company warned that the tax could lead to soda prices rising by around 10 per cent and that the tax would impact over 90 per cent of its French drinks portfolio.
In Australia, the Cancer Council, Diabetes Australia and the National Heart Foundation of Australia have also recommended that the government restricts the marketing of sugary drinks and their accessibility to children.
Craig Sinclair, chair of the Public Health Committee at Cancer Council Australia, said comprehensive action needs to be taken to highlight the amount of sugar and empty kilojoules in these drinks and the potential health impacts of high levels of consumption.
“Soft drinks seem innocuous and had occasionally they’re fine, but soft drink companies have made it so they’re seen as part of an everyday diet – there’s an entire aisle dedicated to them in the supermarket, most venues and workplaces have vending machines packed with them, they’re often cheaper than bottled water and are advertised relentlessly to teenagers.
“But sugary drinks shouldn’t be part of a daily diet — many people would be surprised to know that a regular 600ml soft drink contains about 16 packs of sugar and that’s a lot of empty kilojoules. Yet they’re being consumed at levels that can lead to serious health issues for the population – it’s time to stop sugar-coating the facts.”
Sugary drinks are widely consumed by Australian adults and children. In the 12 months to October 2012, Australians bought 1.28 billion litres of carbonated/still drinks with sugar, with regular cola drinks being the most popular (447 million litres).
