WHO for taxing sugary drinks to cut obesity, diabetes

16 October, New Delhi

Warning against growing trend of sugar consumption worldwide fuelled by large appetite for soft drinks, chocolates and the like, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says taxing sugary drinks can lower consumption and reduce obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.

As much as a 20 per cent hike in the retail price of sugary drinks would result in ”proportional reductions in consumption of such products,” a report titled ”Fiscal policies for Diet and Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)”, released here this week says.

Beleiving that consumption of free sugars, including sugary drinks, was a major factor in the global obesity and diabetes, Dr Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Department for the Prevention of NCDs says ”If governments tax products like sugary drinks, they can reduce suffering and save lives. They can also cut healthcare costs and increase revenues to invest in health services.”

Rise in levels of obesity has resulted in more than 1 in 3 adult above 18 years of age being declared overweight in 2014, that is 39 per cent of the population. About half a billion adults have been categorised as obese between 1980 and 2014.Besides, an additional 42 million children under 5 years of age is estimated to be above desired weight last year, accounting for about 11 million more during this period.

Almost half — 48 per cent of these children — live in Asia and 25 per cent in Africa.With diabetes seeing to be on the rise, there has been a jump in the numberof people living with this disease from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014.WHO experts warn that people don’t need any extra sugar in their diet as their consumptionexceeds a single serving of commonly consumed sugary drinks in a day.