Don’t tax fizzy drinks – aim at sugary foods, say scientists

TAXING chocolate and sweet foodstuffs could be more effective than the new “sugar tax” on fizzy drinks.

A study by Oxford and Cambridge universities and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggests that adding 10 per cent to the price of confectionery, cakes and biscuits would lead to a 7 per cent drop in purchases. The figures are similar to those for taxing sugar-sweetened drinks, where research found the same price increase would reduce purchases by the same amount.

But this study, published in BMJ Open, found that taxing sweet snacks had an additional effect of persuading consumers to cut soft drinks, biscuits, cakes and savoury snacks as well. Sweet snacks generally have twice as much sugar as fizzy drinks, so the overall reduction on intake would be greater, the report said.

Researchers found, for example, that increasing the price of chocolate could significantly reduce purchases across most food categories, while an increase in biscuit prices showed a potential reduction in the purchase of cakes (2.3 per cent) as well as chocolate and confectionery (1.7 per cent). The authors could not explain why this made consumers change their buying behaviour. But Prof Richard Smith, from the London school, said: “This research suggests that taxing sweet snacks could bring even greater health gains.”

Prof Susan Jebb, from Oxford University, said: “These snacks are high in sugar but often high in fat too, so their consumption can increase the risk of obesity.” The research suggested that taxing snacks could boost public health and in particular benefit low income households, she added.