Limit the amount of added sugar

Congratulations on your thorough look at the vexed problem of sugar in society.

My own take on the subject: It cannot be left to big business. History amply shows that big business has only the interest of its owners and shareholders at heart. History also shows that big business is powerful at lobbying, persuading, obfuscating, red-herringism when it perceives its interest are under threat.

Tax can disadvantage the poorer sectors of society, and end up, in the case of addictive substances, penalising those who simply cannot give the product up, which leads in turn to black markets and crime, viz. tobacco. It is equally difficult to adjust taxes down, say, for healthy options such as water, fruit and veges.

I suggesti the government set a limit on the amount of added sugar to any food and drink product, just as it sets limits for things like sulphur dioxide as a preservative.

I suggest a three-year programme, the first two seeing an annual reduction of 10 per cent each year of added sugar to any food and non-alcoholic beverage. It could be based on product label information, together with random testing and substantial penalties for noncompliance. For goods imported, the importer would be responsible.

In the third year, the programme can be reviewed, revised, removed, etc., depending on results. This would coincide with the next election, so the public can make its views on the matter known.

JEREMY DUNNINGHAM

Napier [abridged]