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“Sugar Tax” being Applauded by Health Advocate Groups in BC

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Radio NL

Dr. Tom Warshawski is praising the BC government’s decision to add the “sugar tax” to soft drinks, but believes more could be done. “I think taxes on sugary products are important, but it should be an excise tax that only the federal government can do. But, these types of discussions are really important because there’s a lot of marketing around drinking sugary drinks, in favour of it and kids are bombarded by it.” Read the article here

See also The Globe and Mail (subscriber paywall)|  Doctor says B.C.’s tax on sugary drinks will help kids lose weight, improve health 

Are Foods Labeled ‘Low Sugar’ Misleading Consumers?

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New York Times

A recent study that examined millions of grocery store purchases in the United States found that dubious claims about sugar, salt and fat were common. Many fruit juices that claimed to be low in sugar, for example, tended to have added sugars and more sugar than comparable juices with no claims on them. Some breakfast cereals labeled low in calories had more calories than the cereals that did not make calorie claims. Read the article here.

B.C. Budget 2020: High-income earners, pop drinkers to pay more taxes

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Vancouver Sun

The government will end a Provincial Sales Tax exemption on sugary drinks, such as pop, starting July 1. Adding the seven-per-cent PST to such beverages will generate more than $30 million annually. “I think it’s interesting if you take a look at the largest consumption of pop, sweetened drinks, it is 14 to 18 year olds,” said Finance Minister Carole James. “We want to make sure we’re doing our part to set them on the stage of having a healthy life ahead.” Read more.

Sugary Drink Consumption Plunges in Chile After New Food Law

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The New York Times

A study found that a law requiring warning labels on unhealthy foods made a swift difference in purchases of sodas, bottled water and juices. Consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks dropped practically 25 per cent in the 18 months after Chile adopted a raft of laws that included promoting restrictions on unhealthy meals, front-of-package warning labels and a ban on junk meals in schools. Read more

‘Sugar tax’ drives down sugar content in soft drinks, study finds

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BBC Science Focus

The sugar content of soft drinks has undergone a “striking” reduction since the introduction of a sugar levy in the UK, researchers have found. Drinks manufacturers have cut the amount of sugar in their products since the levy of between 18p and 24p a litre was introduced in April 2018. The Oxford University research, published in BMC Medicine, claims there has been a 29 per cent reduction in the total amount of sugar sold in soft drinks in the UK between 2015 and 2018. 

You can read the article here

Sweet spot: Norwegians cut sugar intake to lowest level in 44 years

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The Guardian

An annual report on the Norwegian diet reported that average annual consumption of sugar had plummeted from 43kg to 24kg per person between 2000 and 2018 – including a 27% reduction in the past decade – to a level lower than that recorded in 1975.  Norway has had a sugar tax since 1922 and more recently has created separate taxes for confectionary and sugary drinks.

Read the article here.

Children consume products with added sugar too early and too often, a new study finds

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CTV News

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States found added sugars in the daily diets of 61 per cent of babies (aged six to eleven months) and 98 per cent of toddlers (aged 12 to 23 months), according to a new study published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Read the article here

How children get hooked on sugary drinks

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New York Times

Nearly two-thirds of the $2.2 billion in beverages marketed to children in 2018 contained added sweeteners, according to a report released last week by the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut. The report found that the packaging and marketing of these products often leave parents confused.   Read the New York Times article here.

 

 

Sugar tax, prominent labels reduce sugar consumption, Ontario study suggests

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Toronto Star

A University of Waterloo study suggests that taxes on sugary products and labels on the front of packages can help reduce sugar consumption. The study, which included more than 3,500 people aged 13 and over on their purchasing behaviour last spring, also found that taxes could have the greatest impact if 100 percent fruit juice was included in reduction efforts. Read article here.
Read the study here

How Senate can work across party lines to stop the marketing of junk food to children

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The Province

A great article by Dr. Tom Warshawski (Chair, Childhood Obesity Foundation) and Yves Savoie (CEO, Heart and Stroke) highlighting the bipartisan journey of Bill S-228, Senate’s delay and what’s at stake. (originally published in the Hill Times on 16 April 2019).
Excerpt: “The Senate has the choice of either protecting the health of our children by passing Bill S-228 in a timely manner or protecting the interests of the industry food lobby by continuing to delay its passage… The bill is a perfect example of how a non-partisan Senate can use its plentiful resources to study a problem, propose solutions and then introduce strong legislation that supports the government’s mandate. This is the Senate at its best”. Read full OpEd here…