TARGETING CARBONATED DRINKS TAKES FIZZ OUT OF BENEFITS OF SUGAR TAX

AS IF Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan doesn’t have enough problems, with the imminent sugar tax on fizzy drinks (carbonated beverages excluding juices), more challenges loom.

Type 2 diabetes is becoming more prevalent with the greater consumption of processed foods, the proliferation of supermarkets and quick-service restaurants, sedentary lifestyles, the couch potato syndrome, relatively cheaper ready-made food options, ice creams, chocolates and sweets.

The supersized combos or buy one, get one free or five for R20 special offers encourage higher consumption.

Sugar has entered a new realm of affordability.

It is used in many food items, such as tomato sauce, white bread, snacks, chips and cereals.

Fizzy drinks are but just one element.

The real crunch is calorie intake. Take a fast-food burger meal, white bread bun, ground beef (with additives), mayonnaise, tomato sauce with a Coke Zero or orange juice. Ask any dietitian, this is a recipe for disaster.

Claims that an item is sugar-free or even fat-free are often misleading. Fat-free, but loaded with sugar. Fruit drinks, grape juices, alcopops (for example, vodka mixed with cranberry juice) are among the major culprits.

With the Treasury targeting only soft carbonated drinks, aren’t we creating a false perception that people may drink fewer fizzy drinks, but consume more tea, coffee, milkshakes and fruit juices, with cakes and biscuits?

An economist might call this tax discriminatory as only carbonated beverages are being targeted. Before the tax is implemented, the Treasury should consult nutritionists and find a more effective way to tackle the sugar scourge.

Muhammad Omar Durban North