Tax sugary products to fight against obesity. An idea that is gaining ground and is now advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO). In a report published on Tuesday, the UN organization advises states to introduce taxation on sugary drinks such as sodas. A solution which is added to those of the “Commission on the means of ending childhood obesity”, responsible since January for proposing ideas to be implemented against this scourge.
6 teaspoons of sugar per day maximum
According to the WHO, a 20% increase in the prices of these products would lead to a drop in consumption of the same order. By taxing at 50%, the organization hopes for a reduction by half. The reality of the experiments currently gives a 6% drop in consumption in Mexico, whose government introduced a 10% tax on sugary drinks in 2014.
WHO recommendations for sugar intake have long stagnated around 10% of daily energy intake. The organization is now counting on 5%, which corresponds to 25 grams of sugar or 6 teaspoons. Incompatible with sugary drinks: a can alone contains 10 teaspoons.
Fight against diseases related to overweight
The WHO also believes that subsidizing fruit and vegetables, which are still often expensive foodstuffs, could have the same effect in terms of improving eating habits as the tax on sugary drinks. Less sugar or more fruit and vegetables, the objective behind these recommendations is the same: to reduce the share of overweight people (one third of adults), and to combat obesity which still concerns 600 million people. Indeed, these diseases are major risk factors for chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
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