WHO: Tax Hike on Drinks with High Sugar Content Recommended to Combat Obesity

The World Health Organization appealed to the international communities to start taxing sugary beverages to fight obesity. On October 11, the UN’s health agency announced the end result of their research. The study shows that the connection of price hike has a noticeable decreasing effect on consumption.

The WHO recommendation about the sugary drinks resulted from the immediate solution for the increasing number of obesity cases. The agency targets to bring the obesity rates to 1 in 3 overweight adults.

The WHO report stated, “There is reasonable and increasing evidence that appropriately designed taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages would result in proportional reductions in consumption, especially if aimed at raising the retail price by 20% or more”.

In short, the price hike on an item relates to the consumption. The agency explained the analogy as an increase of 20% on the price will decrease the consumption by 20%. While a 50% price hike will cut the consumption in half.

According to Douglas Bettcher, department head of WHO’s prevention of non-communicable disease, “If governments tax products like sugary drinks, they can reduce suffering and save lives”.

In 2014, WHO estimated that 39% of adults worldwide were overweight, and more than half a billion people aged over 18 were obese. The agency found out that 42 million children under the age of 5 were overweight: a direct indication of increase about 11 million children within the span of 15 years.

The number of people affected by diabetes ballooned from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014.

Sweet, Deadly Sugar

Diabetes caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012. People with high glucose levels linked to diabetes were accountable for another 2.2 million deaths within the year according to the latest data from WHO.

The recommendation was based on a meeting held last year by fiscal experts. These experts are assigned to gather data and case studies worldwide to find the best possible solutions to lessen obesity.

The main focus of the study was Mexico, which in 2014 had already increase tax prices on the sugary beverages. Based on WHO report, Mexico’s consumption of those sugary beverages dropped a significant 6% by the end of 2014.

According to the report, “Fiscal policies should target food and beverages for which healthier alternatives are available”. “When you drink, your appetite control is not active, so you tend to over consume calories”. The department head of WHO’s health and development, Francesco Branca told reporters.

In the past, WHO recommended the sugar intake should compose less than 10% of a person’s total daily diet. They are now urging countries in lowering it further to 5%. It means the equivalent sugar intake is about 6 teaspoons or 25 grams of sugar a day. An average can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar.

The WHO report also indicates subsidization of prices in fruits and vegetables, a reduction of 10 to 30 percent in the price. This can eventually result in improving dietary lifestyles.

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