A sugar tax may not, of itself, resolve the growing incidence of obesity in society. But it will certainly slow the growth of ballooning waistlines and, with the assistance of other fitness-related interventions, contribute to a healthier population and reduce hospital costs.
Irish medical expert Professor Donal O'Shea has described a sugar tax as "the single most important thing the Government can do" if it wishes to tackle the obesity crisis. Dismissing claims by the Irish Beverage Council that a sugar tax would not work, he estimated it could reduce the number of obese Irish adults by 22,000 within three years.
Such diametrically opposed opinions, involving a fizzy drinks industry under threat and independent medical practitioners, reflect the historic stance of the tobacco industry when it insisted for decades that its products did not cause cancer. This time, however, the drinks industry is not pleading blamelessness. It argues that a sugar tax will not work but will increase family household bills.
Increasing the cost of fizzy drinks to make them less accessible is the whole point of this exercise. A single fizzy drink contains more than the recommended daily sugar intake for an adult, to say nothing about the content of any accompanying fast foods. The industry has thwarted attempts by successive ministers for health to introduce a sugar tax since 2012. But now that the British authorities have decided to introduce a charge from 2018, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan may signal a similar approach in the Budget.
A tax on fizzy drinks, in terms of public health, should represent the Government’s opening position. The sugar and fat content of other products, such as convenience foods, should be monitored. Where consumption in normal quantities poses an elevated risk of obesity, the industry should be required to produce healthier alternatives or face an additional charge. In the past, their defence was: if we don’t produce these attractive, unhealthy products, our competitors will. It is time for a change in attitudes.