A proposal for a tax on sugary drinks would be useful in combating rising obesity in Australia but was not the only way to tackle the problem, a Deakin University professor says.
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Epidemiology professor Anna Peeters said the campaign to discourage the consumption of sugary drinks could learn a lot from the campaign to discourage people from smoking such as measures to change the behaviour of those most at risk.
Professor Peeters said the tax on sugary drinks would need to be backed by measures such as discouraging people from eating other unhealthy foods for it to be effective in combating obesity.
She was commenting on the proposal this week by the Grattan Institute think tank for a tax of 40 cents per 100 grams of sugar on all non-alcoholic, water-based drinks that contain added sugar.
Professor Peeters said price was an important “driver” about what people ate and drank and one of the benefits of the proposed tax was that it could reduce obesity in poorer communities where the occurrence of obesity was highest.
The tax would also be an important public statement that the government was serious about combating obesity and was likely to encourage other organisations not to promote sugary drinks, she said.
It would also raise revenue that could fund more programs to combat obesity, Professor Peeters said.
Poor nutrition, which was linked to obesity, was the biggest modifiable risk factor for deaths and disability in Australia, Professor Peeters said.
Warrnambool has been involved in several campaigns to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks with Warrnambool City Council encouraging locals to take part in VicHealth’s H30 Challenge in May.
The challenge asked people to switch from sugary drinks to water for 30 days.
Soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages were also removed from sale at South West Healthcare late this year as part of a move by 13 Barwon South West Region hospitals to stop selling sugary drinks.
The Grattan Institute estimates its proposed tax would increase the price of a two-litre bottle of soft drink by about 80 cents, raise about $500 million a year and reduce consumption of sugary drinks by about 15 per cent.
Obesity is rising dramatically in Australia with one in four adults now classified as obese.
