A tax on pop (and other junk food)?
Submitted by Jeff on March 10, 2010 - 5:24pm
New York just seems to keep on going when it comes to policy interventions at the population health level. The New York State Health Commissioner recently stated that
"the dramatic underpricing of sugar-sweetened beverages, their widespread availability, and the ceaseless marketing of these products constitute a stumbling block to good health and are a clear and present danger to the future of our children.”
But New York's not the only place pushing for a tax on sweetened beverages. A member of the California State Assembly has introduced a bill to tax soda pop and other sugar-sweetened beverages. The money raised by this tax would be devoted to childhood obesity prevention. The California Centre for Public Health Advocacy estimates that the tax – one cent on every teaspoon of added sugar or other caloric sweetener – would raise $1.5 billion per year.
In Washington State, the Governor is also pushing for a tax on pop, bottled water, and candy.
A study just published in one of the leading medical research journals, the Archives of Internal Medicine, provides evidence that such a tax could be effective: Researchers looked at the diet and health of 5115 young adults aged 18 to 30 years over a 21 year period, from 1985 to 2006. They also looked at food prices over that time. A 10% increase in the cost of pop and pizza resulted in a 7% decline in caloric intake from pop and a 12% decrease in calories from pizza.
