Evidence

•  Soft drink consumption increased by almost 500% during the past 50 years (Putnam and Allshouse, 1999) and they are now the primary source of added sugar in the US diet.

• Adolescents have increased their soft drink consumption over the past two decades, coinciding with the emergence of an obesity epidemic in the US. 

• One bottle of soda contains more than double the recommended daily sugar consumption:  The number of daily teaspoons of ‘added sugar’ recommended for a healthy diet and weight is 5-9; a 20 oz. bottle of soda alone contains 17 teaspoons of added sugar.

• Childhood obesity is an epidemic with serious life-long health impacts:

• Obesity is an epidemic in Massachusetts and the nation: More than half of adults and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese. 

• Childhood obesity has tripled since 1980: 1 in 3 American children are overweight and up to 17% of children aged 2-19 years is now obese. The vast majority of overweight children grow up to become obese adults.

• This generation of children is at high risk for many obesity-related medical conditions: especially diabetes, but also high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other illnesses (inflammation, cancer, depression).

• The children of Boston are particularly at risk for childhood obesity, with a rate 18% higher than the nation’s, and they may even have shorter life expectancies than their parents or grandparents

Fighting Child Obesity One Step at a Time:

• Consuming one additional sugary drink per day over a period of eighteen months increased the odds of being obese in children by 60% Ludwig et al. (2001)

• Reducing energy intake by only 100 cal per day, which is less than one can of soda per day, could prevent weight gain in over 90% of the population. Hill et al. (2003)

• The American Heart Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the US 2010 Dietary Guidelines all call for reductions in intake of sugar sweetened beverages to prevent obesity and improve health.

Financial Implications: Billions of dollars are spent every year treating obesity-related conditions. Medical costs attributable to obesity were as high as $147 billion in 2008, which is nearly 10% of all medical spending nationally. Finkelstein et al. (2009)

If this tax is passed, Massachusetts would join 40 other states who already have a tax on soda and candy.  In addition to generating over $50 million for public health programs, the repeal of the sales tax exemption is a critical first step to discouraging the consumption of these unhealthy items.  Net proceeds generated from removing these exemptions will be deposited into the Commonwealth Health and Prevention Fund to support critical public health programs.

To view a webinar from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity with information from the experts, click HERE.

The key policy paper was written by Kelly Brownell in the New England Journal of Medicine and can be found at the following link: Public health benefits of taxing sugary drinks.  He also wrote another article that can be found here.