Healthy Ageing APAC Summit 2019

Watch: Sugar taxes – the case in favour: “Enormous evidence of success”

This content item was originally published on www.foodnavigator-asia.com, a William Reed online publication.

23-Jul-2019 - Last updated on 28-Sep-2021 at 13:38 GMT

Related tags sugar tax sweetened beverage Public health

Sugar sweetened beverages are one of very few “clearly unhealthy products” that are readily promoted to children and “significantly contribute” to poorer health outcomes as people age, according to a leading health consultant.

Dan Hunt made the case in favour of taxation on sugar sweetened beverages in a head-to-head debate with Australian Beverages Council CEO Geoff Parker at our recent Healthy Ageing APAC Summit in Singapore.

We caught up with Hunt after he stepped off stage to get his key takeaways on camera.

Hunt claims there is a wealth of scientific evidence linking sugar sweetened beverage intake with poor health outcomes and the risk of obesity.

He also argues that there is a compelling case to state that taxation works, both to reduce sugar intake, and help fund public health initiatives.

“The obesity question is simple, its calories in versus calories out. One of the biggest drivers in developed countries is calorific intake, not calories out. So tackling energy dense and nutrition poor products such as sugar sweetened beverages is crucial,” he argues.

Take a look at the video for more, and see Parker's case against sugar taxation here.