There’s no way to sugarcoat it: Obesity is a global problem. Once found largely in industrialized places, the condition is now on the rise in developing nations too – and sweet beverages are partly to blame.
Taxing could help curb the trend. In recent years at least ten countries have introduced surcharges on sugary drinks in an effort to reduce consumption. The U.K. is considering a tax; on the Pacific island of Nauru, where most people are overweight,both sodas and flavored milks are taxed.
Oliver Mytton, who studies public health at Oxford, says markets are feeling the impact. In France, for instance, fewer sweet drinks have been sold since a 2012 tax was implemented. What isn’t clear yet is how much the levies are affecting waistlines. Still, says Mytton, “They’re a step in the right direction.”
Catherine Zuckerman, National Geographic, November 2013.
Taxing could help curb the trend. In recent years at least ten countries have introduced surcharges on sugary drinks in an effort to reduce consumption. The U.K. is considering a tax; on the Pacific island of Nauru, where most people are overweight,both sodas and flavored milks are taxed.
Oliver Mytton, who studies public health at Oxford, says markets are feeling the impact. In France, for instance, fewer sweet drinks have been sold since a 2012 tax was implemented. What isn’t clear yet is how much the levies are affecting waistlines. Still, says Mytton, “They’re a step in the right direction.”
Catherine Zuckerman, National Geographic, November 2013.
TEXT A suggests that the consumption of sugary drinks can be reduced by
