[Closed] Tax on sugary drinks

If I go to the shop and have to pay more for my cans of coke then yes I'm suffering. I won't have as much money to spend on a greggs lunch.

Byker Dummies?

I hope this is the start of the war on "added sugar" and is extended beyond drinks

10% of the NHS budget is spent on diabetes and its effects and 1 in 5 kids leaving primary school are obese .... 1 in 5 !! 😯

One day excess sugar consumption may will be seen like smoking is now.

People in office doorways stuffing down buns... mars bars and walnut whips sold only over the counter from a cabinet that's behind shutters

Why the downer on bottled water?

Theres is no more disposable plastic required to bottle water than any other drink and what realistic alternatives are there?

I hope this is the start of the war on "added sugar" and is extended beyond drinks

Its not just sugar is it though, our economy relies on distracting folk from they're otherwise shit life with cheap food, shiny cars and pink and blue TV.

Theres is no more disposable plastic required to bottle water than any other drink and what realistic alternatives are there?

A tap.

Realistic?

Well I've just managed to get some from a tap.

Every shopping street beach or Park out in Oz has drinking taps and bottle filling points. I reckon most people who would buy a bottle of water now carry a reusable bottle. Best idea in the world, ban bottled water in offices and meetings so easy to do taps and glasses.

There's a big promotion around bristol for using taps. Might seem obvious to some but others must need a prod. Part of the green capital legacy was the installation of drinking water taps around the city to refill bottles.

Exactly.

Sugar tax is having a positive impact in Mexico, so I would say it's worth a go.

Sounds like a great idea but wont replace all circumstances when being able to get a bottle of clean water is very handy.

This kind of thing pisses me right off. I drink the odd can of coke kids have the odd sugary drink. Why do we all have to suffer because folk should move more and eat/drink less?

If the increased tax reduces sugar consumption everyone will benefit.

However, from a health perspective the alternatives - diet - drinks have been proven to be pretty bad for you with regular ingestion, I refer to aspartinine, sorbitol etc.
Aren't we solving one problem but creating another, basically on the assumption that the other problem is currently much smaller that the former problem?

And as Ro5ey says obesity now costs the NHS more than smoking, why shouldn't it be dealt with by tax

However, from a health perspective the alternatives - diet - drinks have been proven to be pretty bad for you with regular ingestion, I refer to aspartinine, sorbitol etc.

Partly because of the prevalence of scare stories and misinformation, Aspartame is one of the single most tested foodstuffs on the planet.

Sorbitol has laxative effects in larger quantities, so that does need to be taken into consideration (ie, great if you've got the opposite problem to start with, not so great if you have IBS).

However, from a health perspective the alternatives - diet - drinks have been proven to be pretty bad for you with regular ingestion, I refer to aspartinine, sorbitol etc.

Why the downer on bottled water?

There's also the damage to the environment from delivery - some comes from other countries - crazy really.

Before the 70s we were quite happy with tap water but Perrier got this crazy thing going.

Thing is the producers will be paying the tax, and if they can reduce their overheads they will, so should at least help reduce the amount of sugar in these drinks

[quote=MSP ]However, from a health perspective the alternatives - diet - drinks have been proven to be pretty bad for you with regular ingestion, I refer to aspartinine, sorbitol etc.
Only if your definition of proven is "alleged".
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/the-truth-about-aspartame.aspx

Aspartame is hidden away in lots of foods, very difficult for those with PKU like Mrs b. Diet can be controlled but when its hidden in foods makes eating out very hard.

PKU

However, the panel said the ADI did not apply to people with phenylketonuria (PKU) – a rare genetic disorder where the body cannot break down phenylalanine. People who have this condition need to closely monitor their phenylalanine intake.
The EFSA report stated that: "PKU mothers with poorly controlled phenylalanine intake in their diet during pregnancy may give birth to babies with congenital heart diseases, microcephalus and impaired neurological function."
It is worth noting that phenylalanine occurs naturally in many protein-rich foods, such as milk, eggs and meat. Table top sweeteners containing aspartame or aspartame-acesulfame K must be marked with: “contains a source of phenylalanine”.

Its not just sugar is it though, our economy relies on distracting folk from they're otherwise shit life with cheap food, shiny cars and pink and blue TV.

I cant go on, throws himself off bridge! Good bye cruel world ! LoL

mudshark - Member

Why the downer on bottled water?

There's also the damage to the environment from delivery - some comes from other countries - crazy really.

Before the 70s we were quite happy with tap water but Perrier got this crazy thing going.

I do dislike the idea of bottled water, but in most citys now its difficult to find a drinking water tap without local knowledge. Most public restrooms using mixer taps so id rather not drink luke-warm water, pubs arnt open early, cafes might give me some but I don't typically carry an empty bottle around with me when shopping.

I cant go on, throws himself off bridge! Good bye cruel world ! LoL

Sad thing is lots of people do.

Stato perhaps the push away from sugar drinks and bottled water will create the demand for better facilities. Other places have managed the change.

very difficult for those with PKU like Mrs b

Good point, but it's perfectly safe amongst the general population unless you've got a condition which precludes it (I knew there was one for aspartame but couldn't remember the details; that sounds tough, my sympathies). But that's probably true of many many things we eat, peanuts for example.

Queuing at Asda or Tescos I often notice mothers with huge multibags of crisps, multipacks of small juice drinks etc etc.

It's almost like they think children have the basic right to processed sugar in ALL it's forms. You are never going to change this mindset with any level of tax. It's the 'don't tell me what to do' or 'I know how to raise my kids'. Coke 2lt will still be on promos and if it becomes too expensive? Asda no doubt will have a 2lt cola that will become the same price as the old coke. Win win for the supermarket's.

I don't typically carry an empty bottle around with me when shopping.

Theres also exactly double the amount of people in the world now than 1970, it is a completely different place.

Water on tap sounds great in some circumstances but bottled water is quite an appealing product and if it helps ween people of the other much greater risk of death by diabetes then cost of recycling and an in efficient delivery in the short term is worthwhile.

It may make a bit of a difference, perhaps if a kid walks into a corner shop for a bag or crisps and a drink on the way home from school and see coke at £1 and something a bit healthier at £0.75. I presume at least some would choose the cheaper (healthier) option? Similar when families do the weekly shopping.

It's a small step and wont stop the obesity problem overnight but it could be a start, they could then do the same on other foods making it cheaper to eat healthier food. I don't mean apples compared to deep fried mars bars but some crisps/chocolates have far more calories than others.

It does unfairly penalise diabetics though.

they could then do the same on other foods making it cheaper to eat healthier food

It doesn't cost a lot of money to eat healthy, it's just the way we're bombarded with the unhealthy stuff all the time. I don't think it's just about money.

It does unfairly penalise diabetics though.

I don't really get this "carrying a bottle of water around". When did that become a thing? I don't recall ever getting dehydrated doing the shopping.

Water on tap sounds great in some circumstances but bottled water is quite an appealing product and if

Edit

I don't really get this "carrying a bottle of water around". When did that become a thing?

I suppose some people would be worried about looking mean if drinking tap water - either at a restaurant or just around town? We have a lot of water bottles in my house but my wife still buys little bottles of water to take with her for days out, bit annoying....

It doesn't cost a lot of money to eat healthy, it's just the way we're bombarded with the unhealthy stuff all the time. I don't think it's just about money.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't saying it costs too much to eat healthily. What I mean is adjusting the prince can sway some peoples buying habits. Look at the 5p bag charge, its 5p FFS but it has had a massive impact on how many bags get used and how people shop.

An example would be crisps, there are bags that contain 100 calories and others that contain 250. If the 250 calorie option cost more, people may choose the lower calorie (healthier) option while still eating the bag of crisps that they want. It also gets manufacturers to put more effort into creating lower calorie but tasty options as there will be a bigger market for them?

At least take some care to disguise when you selectively requote only part of my sentence.

I quoted where I felt it could stop for effect. The why not stops change. The rest of the world is managing this sort of thing, so it appears is Bristol. Bottled water has sat alongside sugar drinks for long enough and done nothing.

Well I've just managed to get some from a tap.

You and your fancy ways!! 🙂

for effect.

Now I see what your game is..

In what way?

I'm a step-parent to a Type 1 diabetic. If he doses himself too much insulin and goes hypoglycaemic then he needs fast acting carbs to stop him from falling unconscious and possibly dying. The best way of getting fast acting carbs into him is usually a small can of full fat cola or a bottle of Lucozade.

Type 1 Diabetes is auto-immune - i.e. it's not inflicted by lifestyle as is the case of Type 2 Diabetes.

And honestly you just launched into a long list of crap excuses not to make things better, that was the point like many people it's easier to come up with reasons not to. There is no need for water in bottles, people can carry one, not bin it and people can put taps in. As I said every restaurant or cafe here has bottles and glasses it's part of the service and really normal.

Like the outcry over leaded petrol, smoking band and seat belts people get used to the new/better ways

[url= http://www.tapwater.org/refilling-stations ]Interesting site[/url] for tap water locations. Seems a bit under populated though as it doesn't even have all licensed bars (one of the few places which have to provide free drinking water).

Drinking tap water depends on the quality of the water. London water comes out the tap and chases you twice round the kitchen before covering you in a hard white scaly coating

Interesting site for tap water locations. Seems a bit under populated though

This is completely friggin bonkers!! "buy a lifebottle" - my arse, just use one you already have! "we create refilling stations" - you mean taps???? Of course the lack of public taps is like the lack of public places to piss water out again - a symptom of the decline of the infrastructure of our poor homeland.

Here is the Bristol project: http://www.citytosea.org.uk/index.php/refill-bristol/ No requirement to buy a bottle but they do have them available (with profits to water charity) if you really get hold of one another way