Mexico fights obesity with tax on sugary drinks

In addition to a reduction in sugary-drink sales, the researchers found a 4 percent increase in untaxed beverage sales-primarily water. As such, the team discovered that in the case of poorer households, sugary beverage consumption rates plunge even further than in the case of those with an average income.

In a statement released Thursday, the American Heart Association said: “Scientific research shows that overconsumption of added sugars contribute to heart disease and other chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes”. The authors hypothesized that this might be because noncarbonated drinks are often more expensive and more economically elastic – they can be replaced more easily, possibly with cheaper sodas. There are a couple of major barriers to a larger scale tax on sugary drinks being adopted here, according to Robert Lustig, MD, at the University of California San Francisco. On the other hand, the study reported 4% increase in the consumption of non-taxed beverages. Such beverages lack essential nutrients, and appear to create more problems than they solve.

“Taxes do have a place in a broader strategy in countries that are facing disproportionate harms from unhealthy diets”, he says, “but having to make people pay for their potentially unhealthy consumption choices is not a success for public health”.

Results showed that sales of taxed beverages decreased by around 6% in 2014, compared with anticipated purchases in absence of the tax.

Until his comments came in during a press conference in Hungary, the Department of Health had been adamant that a tax introduction was nowhere in the picture.

Mexico has high levels of diabetes, overweight and obesity, and curbing sugar consumption has been an important target for health advocates, the study authors noted. If governments take children’s health more seriously and use education to inspire them, we could have a huge impact on their health and wellbeing.

Today, obesity and taxes on sugary drinks and junk food are matters of interest for many countries around the world.

The 10 percent sales tax was introduced January 1, 2014.

The Mexican government has a one-peso-per-liter sales tax on all sweet drinks.

However, he agreed with Colchero that such measuresshould complement other policies, adding: “Taxes can be part of a public health strategy – and Mexico’s is a great example for other countries – but they cannot be viewed as a magic bullet in the fight against obesity”. Purchases of taxed sugar-containing beverages fell by 12 ml per head per day and those of untaxed beverages (including fruit juice) increased by 36 ml/head/day. “In addition, it plans to re-interview households who previously participated in ENSANUT 2012 (Mexico’s National Nutrition Survey) to measure changes in individual dietary intake, anthropometry, and fasting blood to understand the health impact of these taxes”.