‘We want sweet nothing to do with sugary drinks’

THREE out of four South African adults support the government’s efforts to enforce policies that will discourage people from consuming sugary drinks and junk food.

This is the outcome of a survey conducted during July, which found that public backing for government interventions to curb the national obesity epidemic has increased significantly.

This is believed to have happened during Parliament’s deliberations on the tax on sugary beverages, proposed by the Treasury in the 2017/18 national budget.

The sugary drinks tax now has the support of seven out of 10 South Africans, if the revenue collected is invested in programmes to benefit the public. A total of 58% of survey participants approved of the new tax unconditionally, while only 29% opposed it and the remaining respondents were neutral.

The survey also found that about six out of 10 people are “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” about the harm They have totally got the idea that this is a well-intentioned tax that could improve the health of the nation.”

The survey was conducted for Heala by Johannesburg-based Genesis Analytics, in conjunction with the international consultancy, Vital Strategies.

The survey sample consisted of 1 000 respondents, representative of the adult population in the metropolitan areas of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

“It is striking that the majority of people felt their own health was at risk due to drinking sugar-laden drinks.

“This issue is something personal – it’s not someone else’s problem,” said Dr Saul Johnson, head of Health Practice at Genesis Analytics.

South Africa has the highest proportion of overweight and obese people in sub-Saharan Africa, and diabetes – one of several diseases related to obesity – has become the second most common cause of death in the country.

In February, the government proposed a tax of 11% on all drinks with added sugar.