A recent study co-authored by Oxford University researchers has proposed a twenty per cent tax on sugary drinks that it estimates would reduce the number of adults who are obese and overweight by 285,000.The measures would add 12p to the price of an average 330ml can, and would, the study estimates, raise £276million a year, which could be used to help the NHS to treat obese patients.
Researchers from the British Heart Foundation, Oxford University and the University of Reading published the study in the British Medical Journal last week. They based their research on drink consumption data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of 2008-2010, in which 2,126 people completed a four day food and drink diary, and statistics on the cost of food and drink from the Living Costs and Food Survey of 2010. This information, alongside the results of similar studies intothe effects of food and drink pricing on consumption, allowed them to forecast the effect of a tax on spending habits.
Dr Adam Briggs, the lead study author from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at Oxford University, believes that this tax would be an effective measure. He said, “Sugar-sweetened drinks are known to be bad for health and our research indicates that a twenty per cent tax could result in a meaningful reduction in the number of obese adults in the UK.
“Such a tax is not going to solve obesity by itself, but we have shown it could be an effective public health measure and should be considered alongside other measures to tackle obesity in the UK.”
Their findings follow calls by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges earlier this year to impose a higher tax on sugary drinks and ban pre-watershed advertising of junk food, claiming that obesity in the UK was a “huge crisis” that is particularly damaging to young people.
However, critics have pointed out the fact that this would not be drastic enough to deter the people most at risk. Tom Sanders, professor of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, said, “The cost of sugar-sweetened beverages is currently so low that any price increase would be so marginal that it would be unlikely to affect intake. You can buy three litres of orange squash for £1 in discount stores.”
People aged sixteen to thirty are the most frequent consumers of soft drinks, yet reactions amongst Oxford students have been generally negative. Most feel that it is only addressing a small part of a wider problem, and that raising awareness about the harmful effects of sugar drinks is more important than changing the price.
Oisin Kidney, a medical student, said, “Even if this reduces sugary drink consumption, people will find something else to fill the void. It could just encourage people to buy in bulk and end up drinking more.”
Tom Jackson, a PPE student, said, “If you have sugary drinks often enough to endanger your health, you won’t be put off by a small increase in price. You’d need a much stronger campaign to make any difference.”
