The British Medical Association (BMA) has been advocating a 20% tax for sugary drinks. The extra tax seems to be the immediate solution to slow down the massive problem about poor diet and obesity crisis.
BBC reports that BMA calculates approximately 70,000 untimely deaths each year because of poor diets. The reason why the said organization has called for the extra money to raise thru tax so that it could subsidize fresh fruits and vegetables.
However, the Food and Drink Federation seems not to agree with BMA. The federation thinks that measure would not alter the diets.
As reported, there has been an increasing concern about the detrimental impact of sugar on health. Top three concerns relating to the sugary drinks are people's teeth, diabetes (type 2), and being grossly overweight. In connection with the abovementioned health issues, BMA cautions people that a 330ml soda probably contains 9 teaspoon of sugar and is said to contain "empty calories".
According to the report, Mexico has already jumped in on taxing their sugary drinks. As a result, it has cut down the consumption of pop soda.
The Star UK says, it has been anticipated that by 2030, third of the population would be obese. Thus the first step to lessen and fight obesity in the UK is to tax a wide range of products. It has reported that the BMA is the most recent organization that has called for a tax on sugary products, yet Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt ruled out this move last year.
Considering the projected population for obese individuals, BMA does not only advocate for additional tax for sodas and other sugary drinks but also has urged all academic institution to adhere on "strict food regulations." Daily Mail UK reports that "In the UK, the traditional public health challenges of undernutrition and unsafe food and water have been largely replaced by the risks of poor diet."
In addition, Food Research Collaboration (FRC) chairperson Professor Tim Lang said that the government must contemplate in taxing unhealthy products and start living in the reality. It has been pointed out that the healthiest diets are twice as expensive than the price of the unhealthy ones. Imposing a tax on sugary drinks could be used to subsidize the sale of fruit and vegetables.