U.K. Study Shows 20% Soda Tax Would Slash Obesity

The reduction would be about a 1.3% drop in obesity, but that would be enough, say the study authors.

November 04, 2013

OXFORD, England – Putting a 20% tax on soft drinks in the United Kingdom would lower the number of obese adults by around 180,000—or a drop of 1.3% in obesity, a new study finds. Oxford University and University of Reading researchers conducted the study, the Associated Press reports.

Currently, the United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of obesity in Western Europe. The study reports that a 20% tax on soda would lower sales by 15%, with customers switching to milk, diet beverages and orange juice.

“Every possible alternative that people would buy is going to be better than a sugary drink,” said Mike Rayner of Oxford, one of the study authors. The tax “is not a panacea, but it's part of the solution.”

Rayner and his fellow authors say that the U.K. government hasn’t said it would add such a tax, although other countries have gone that route, including France, Norway and Mexico.

Instead of relying on taxes, the government has worked with companies to produce healthier food and drink products. That approach has lowered sodium levels in processed foods by 20% to 50%. Last month, officials announced a new government-headed program that is working with major food firms to slash saturate fat in their products.

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