Should Australia tax sugar‐sweetened beverages?

Allen, William M K; Allen, Katrina J.

doi:10.1111/jpc.14666

Cited by 13 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…There is increasing attention on added sugar in Australia, with discussions around fiscal policy [63,64], educations campaigns [65,66] and added sugar labelling [67]. Often these policies target beverages, despite recent research suggesting that the contribution of added sugars to the food supply from SSBs is decreasing [68].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Australian Health Star Rating System Encourage Added Sugar Reformulation? Trends in Sweetener Use in Australia

et al. 2021

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Dietary risk factors, including excess added sugar intake, are leading contributors to Australia’s burden of disease. An objective of the Australian Health Star Rating (HSR) system is to encourage the reformulation of packaged foods. Manufacturers may improve a product’s HSR by replacing added sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS). Concerns have been raised regarding the potential substitution effects of ultra-processed foods containing NNS for whole foods, and the long-term impact this may have on population health. The aim of this study was to determine whether the implementation of the HSR system has impacted the use of added sugars and NNS in the food supply. Four product categories were used: products with no added sweetener, products containing added sugar only, products containing NNS only, and products containing a combination of added sugar and NNS. Of 6477 newly released products analyzed displaying a HSR in Australia between 2014–2020, 63% contained added sugars. The proportion of new products sweetened with added sugars increased over time, while NNS use did not, despite a higher average and median HSR for products sweetened with NNS. These findings suggest that at the current time, the HSR system may not discourage the use of added sugars in new products or incentivize the reformulation of added sugar with NNS. As the health risks of NNS are questioned, increased reformulation of products with NNS to reduce the presence of added sugar in the food supply may not address broader health concerns. Instead, supporting the promotion of whole foods and drinks should be prioritized, as well as policy actions that reduce the proliferation and availability of UPFs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Australian Health Star Rating System Encourage Added Sugar Reformulation? Trends in Sweetener Use in Australia

et al. 2021

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“…It might be important for the vulnerable groups in this present study as the SSB tax has seen a reduction in SSB consumption across the board but especially in low-income households [59]. This has also been trialed in Europe with varying degrees of success, but it has resulted in a general downward trend in SSB consumption [56].…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…High sugar intake has been linked to obesity and related non-communicable diseases, for which the healthcare costs in Australia are estimated to be more than $6.57 billion per year with additional indirect costs in lost productivity and tax revenue [6,56]. Additionally, early consumption of SSBs has been linked to the development of dental caries at early school age making it a major challenge to future oral health [57,58].…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SSBs provide a high dose of free sugars with little other nutritional value and as such, should be a clear focus for public health action [17,18]. Several approaches for reducing sugar consumption in Australia have been proposed with the implementation of a sugar tax being one of the most extensively discussed methods [56]. As it has been shown that SSBs are largely consumed due to their lower price-tag and ready availability, a tax may lead to a reduction in purchase and consumption [24].…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors Influencing the Early Introduction of Sugar Sweetened Beverages among Infants: Findings from the HSHK Birth Cohort Study

et al. 2020

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Understanding the determinants of early introduction of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) may assist in designing effective public health interventions to prevent childhood weight related conditions (obesity). This study explores the relationship between family/infant characteristics and the early introduction of SSBs among infants in Sydney, Australia. Mothers (n = 934) from an ongoing birth cohort study were interviewed at 8, 17, 34, and 52 weeks postpartum. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify family/infant factors independently associated with the likelihood of early introduction of SSBs (<52 weeks of age). Of the 934 mothers interviewed, 42.7% (n = 399) of infants were introduced to SSBs before 52 weeks. Mothers who were born in Vietnam (adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.14; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33, 3.47), other Asian countries (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI 1.02, 2.58) as well as single mothers (AOR = 3.72; 95% CI 2.46, 5.62) had higher odds of introducing SSBs early to their infants. Mothers from highly advantaged socioeconomic background (AOR = 0.43; 95% CI 0.28, 0.68), those who breastfed their baby for 17–25 weeks (AOR = 0.60; 95% CI 0.37, 0.99), 26–51 weeks (AOR = 0.65; 95% CI 0.45, 0.94), and 52 weeks or more (AOR = 0.62; 95% CI 0.43, 0.90); and those who introduced solids between 17–25 weeks (AOR = 0.58; 95% CI 0.36, 0.91) and 26 weeks or more (AOR = 0.55; 95% CI 0.34, 0.91) had reduced odds of introducing SSBs early. Tailoring health promotion programs for these vulnerable groups may delay the introduction of SSBs.

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“…Several countries have introduced SSBs taxation, but its implementation has received mixed reactions. Some groups oppose it, with health advocates who lobbied for SSBs taxation supporting it [11][12][13][14]. Opponents of SSBs taxation question its effectiveness in addressing the obesity problem and do not believe SSBs taxes alone can tackle obesity and overweight problems [13][14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online News Coverage of the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax in Malaysia: Content Analysis

Hanim¹,

Sabri²,

Yusof³

2021

JMIR Public Health Surveill

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Background In Malaysia, the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) tax was announced during the parliament's 2019 Budget Speech. The tax was slated to be enforced by April 2019 but was later postponed to July 2019. The announcement has since generated significant media coverage and public feedback. Objective This study presents a qualitative and quantitative cross-sectional study using netnography to examine how Malaysian online news articles responded to the SSBs tax after the announcement and postimplementation. Methods Online news articles published on popular online news platforms from November 2018 to August 2019 were downloaded using NCapture and imported into NVivo for analysis using the inductive approach and thematic content analysis following the initial SSBs implementation announcement. Results A total of 62 news articles were analyzed. Most of the articles positively portrayed the SSBs tax (46.8%) and highlighted its health impacts (76%). There were 7 key framing arguments identified in the articles. The positive arguments revolved around incentivizing manufacturers to introduce healthier products voluntarily, positive health consequences, the tax’s impact on government revenue, and the use of the generated revenue toward beneficial social programs. The opposing arguments included increased operating costs to the manufacturer, the increased retail price of drinks, and how the SSBs tax is not a robust solution to obesity. The top priority sector considered in introducing the tax was the health perspective, followed by economic purposes and creating policies such as regulating the food and drinks industry. Conclusions The majority of online news articles positively reported the implementation of the SSBs tax in Malaysia. This suggests media played a role in garnering support for the health policy. As such, relevant bodies can use negative findings to anticipate and reframe counteracting arguments opposing the SSBs tax.

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Should Australia tax sugar‐sweetened beverages?

Cited by 13 publications

References 21 publications

Does the Australian Health Star Rating System Encourage Added Sugar Reformulation? Trends in Sweetener Use in Australia

Does the Australian Health Star Rating System Encourage Added Sugar Reformulation? Trends in Sweetener Use in Australia

Factors Influencing the Early Introduction of Sugar Sweetened Beverages among Infants: Findings from the HSHK Birth Cohort Study

Online News Coverage of the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax in Malaysia: Content Analysis

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