Popular RTD cocktails and pre-mixed spirits contain ‘unnecessarily high and hidden sugar and calories’, according to UK campaign group Action on Sugar. It says such drinks should reformulate in line with the parameters set out by the sugar tax - or else...
An Oxford University study has found the total amount of sugar sold in soft drinks in the UK dropped by 29% between 2015-2018. “Sustained pressure on business, including fiscal measures, has led to a striking reduction,” say the researchers.
By Rachel Arthur, Elaine Watson, Niamh Michail, Gary Scattergood, Flora Southey
Sugar taxes continue to hit the headlines, so we take a spin around the globe to look at some of the markets where taxes have been introduced or are under debate.
With trendy plant-based alternatives such as soy milk or almond milk, consumers often find a health halo around indulgent coffee shop drinks. But festive favourites such as hot chocolate and sweetly-spiced lattes contain ‘huge’ amounts of sugar, says...
Panama passed a new law this week that creates a national health improvement action plan and increases taxes on the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
Singapore will become the first country in the world to ban adverts for high sugar drinks, as part of measures to reduce sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages.
England’s outgoing Chief Medical Officer says the Soft Drinks Industry Levy has been successful in reducing sugar in children’s drinks: and is calling for the levy to be extended to milk-based drinks.
The Philippines Senate panel has recommended that a bill to increase taxes on alcohol and other ‘sin’ products under Phase 2 of the controversial TRAIN law be passed, amidst government lauding of the first phase’s success.
What would happen if alcohol and sugary drinks had to introduce plain packaging? A report from Brand Finance estimates the potential value loss to beverage businesses could reach around $430bn.
Public Health England’s latest progress report on the food and drink industry’s sugar cutting efforts reveal significant changes in areas where the sugar tax applies, but a disappointing lack of progress with the voluntary sugar reduction programme.
While soda may have dominated shelves in the 1990s, today’s shoppers are seeking increasingly sophisticated functional beverages. Data company Kantar has analyzed consumer behavior in a new report that highlights the last three decades in the US beverage...
Taxing high sugar snacks – such as sweets, cakes and biscuits – may be more effective at reducing obesity than taxing sugary drinks, according to a new study published in the BMJ.
Japanese F&B giant Suntory has recently revealed its performance in the South East Asian to be stronger than other foreign markets, but also expressed caution over continued growth in the region due to sugar tax implementations.
Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has released its first corporate responsibility report as a combined company - with a focus on the environment, supply chain, health and wellbeing and communities.
Convenience store and gas station shopping habits for US consumers are analysed in GasBuddy’s 2019 C-Store Beverage Study, showing more impulse buys and higher demand for bottled water.
UK sugar tax has removed 45,000 tonnes of sugar from shelves, says government
The UK government is considering extending its sugar tax to milk drinks: with the announcement made just before the confirmation of Boris Johnson – who has pledged a review of ‘nanny state sin taxes’ – as the country's next Prime Minister.
A New Zealand study has revealed that sugar-sweetened beverages appears to contain higher health risks than sugar-containing foods, especially when it comes to metabolic syndrome development.
Australians’ growing appetite for the regulation of sugary drinks means the time is sweet for governments to tackle their consumption, say public health researchers.
Mexico’s sugar tax is hitting poor people, increasing inequality and failing to tackle obesity, says the country’s soft drink group ANPRAC – but a recent academic paper suggests even regressive sugar taxes are still “socially desirable”.
Malaysia has implemented its sugar tax targeting sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in the country, which has led major beverage companies to reformulate products in an attempt to curb its impact – but is this enough to meet the government’s goal of combatting...
A meta-analysis has found that a 10% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has cut down purchases and consumption by an average of 10% in places where a tax has been introduced, according to researchers from the University of Otago in Wellington, New...
Oman is joining other GCC states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar in implementing a selective tax on energy drinks, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco.
The amount of sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages sold in Philadelphia dropped by half during the first year in which the city’s controversial tax on the beverages was in effect, according to a study published earlier this month in JAMA.
Shifting consumer taste is causing major beverage companies to adapt, make ‘healthy’ drinks taste better and be more accessible. Coca-Cola is using its Freestyle machines and new bubbler dispensers to highlight its ‘craft, elevated’ drinks in the market.
Reformulating products to reduce sugar can be a costly process. While the impact of sugar taxes on consumer behaviour is a moot point, they do provide the food sector with a financial incentive to trigger change.
Tampico Beverages, a brand of juice drink concentrates that's been around since 1989, has introduced a zero sugar option for its value-oriented consumer audience.
A new study has found no direct link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and elevated BMI in children, prompting authors to question the effectiveness of the UK’s single-nutrient tax approach.
Malaysia has announced the postponement of its sugar tax implementation date by three months, as well as an increase in the sugar content limit for milk-based beverages.
Children and adolescents who excessively consume caffeine-containing energy drinks over a short period of time, can experience sleep problems, anxiety and heart palpitations, say Norway’s food authorities.
Barbados' tax on sugary drinks has been effective in reducing sales of sugar-sweetened beverages - however the ad valorum tax may also encourage shoppers to switch to cheaper - and possibly more sugary - brands, researchers have suggested.
As Singapore winds up its public consultation on sugar tax, the majority of participants have demanded sugar-reduction methods that extend more broadly across the industry beyond just targeting sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
As the debate surrounding the possibility of a sugar tax in New Zealand intensifies, industry groups stand firmly against it, whereas some academics and consumers are gunning for it. Here we provide the lowdown on the current state of the debate.
Mexican households with higher untaxed beverage purchases before the country introduced its soda tax in 2014 had the “largest absolute and relative reductions in taxed beverages”, according to a new analysis.
By Rachel Arthur, Elaine Watson, Stephen Daniells, Gary Scattergood, Niamh Michail
Sugar taxes continue to hit the headlines, but the introduction of new legislation is never straight-forward. We take a look at 20 countries around the globe where sugar taxes have been in the news.
Sri Lanka has been accused of backtracked on its fight against diabetes after implementing a 40% reduction in its sugar tax, amidst public outcry describing the move as ‘insane’ and ‘racing backwards’.
The Ministry of Health Singapore (MOH) is considering multiple measures to reduce Singaporeans' sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), including the introduction of a sugar tax and a complete higher-sugar drinks ban.
Fraser and Neave (F&N) Holdings Bhd is looking at a possible price increase for 90% of its beverages, following Malaysia’s sugar-sweetened beverage tax announcement.
Food manufacturers in Malaysia, including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, have responded to the upcoming 2019 introduction of sugar taxes on drinks and juice ‘with concern’, saying that this is ‘not an effective policy response’ to combat obesity and chronic disease.
Oregon looks set to reject Measure 103 – which would institute a pre-emptive ban on new soda taxes; while voters in Washington appear likely to approve a similar measure (I-1634), based on the latest results from yesterday’s midterm elections.
Malaysia will impose an excise sugar tax on sugar-sweetened beverages starting April 1 2019, in an effort to combat rising overweight and obesity levels in the country - but experts are less than optimistic about its efficacy.
Fiscal incentives like a sugar tax and lower-sugar subsidies to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption are unlikely to be effective, a new Singapore study reveals.
A 'graded sugar tax model' has been suggested by an expert analyst as an alternative to just soda or sugar taxes in Malaysia's battle against sugar over-consumption.
