Tag: SSB

  • JHSPH Report Evaluates Tactics Used to Implement SSB Taxation in Mexico

    A Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) report on Mexico’s sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax has concluded that “strong advocacy work, scientific evidence, and knowledge of the political context can be important facilitators to policy change that promotes obesity prevention and control.” The case study highlights the strategies used by civil society organizations, public…

  • Barbados Imposes SSB Tax

    The Government of Barbados has announced a 10-percent excise tax on the purchase of locally produced and imported sugar-sweetened beverages as of August 1, 2015. The Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) lauded the action, citing consumption of sugary drinks as a major contributing factor to escalating rates of obesity and related health conditions such as diabetes,…

  • Tufts Study Allegedly Links SSBs to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

    Analyzing data from more than 2,500 participants enrolled in a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute study, Tufts University researchers have reportedly concluded that “a daily sugar-sweetened beverage [SSB] habit may increase the risk for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).” Jiantao Ma, et al., “Sugar-sweetened beverage, diet soda and fatty liver disease in the Framingham…

  • SSB Taxes and Food Marketing Among Topics at Upcoming Childhood Obesity Conference

    Public health advocates from around the United States will convene in San Diego, California, on June 29-July 2, 2015, for the 8th Biennial Childhood Obesity Conference. The “Marketing to Kids” track of the two-day event will include a mini-plenary session titled “Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages for Public Health: What Have We Learned from the Mexico, Berkeley and…

  • California Municipal Lawmakers Continue to Target Soft Drink Consumption

    The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has unanimously passed three proposals aimed at reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first, legislation introduced by Supervisor Scott Wiener, would mandate warnings on most billboards and advertisements for SSBs with 25 or more calories. Text of the warning would read:…

  • NHS England Chief Executive Dubs Obesity “The New Smoking”

    During a May 31, 2015, interview with BBC One’s “The Andrew Marr Show,” National Health Service (NHS) England Chief Executive Simon Stevens called on industry stakeholders to reduce the amount of sugar in food and beverage products. In particular, he claimed that “one in three of our teenagers are drinking high-energy, sugary drinks,” urging “responsible…

  • California Assembly Committee Rejects Proposed Tax on Sweetened Beverages

    A proposed bill (A.B. 1357) that would have imposed a 2-cent per ounce tax on soft drinks, sweet teas, energy and sports drinks has failed to pass the California Assembly Health Committee by a vote of 10-6. “I am disappointed that the committee failed to act today on one of the biggest health crises facing…

  • Reduced Daily Soft Drink Consumption Linked to Decreased Diabetes Risk

    University of Cambridge researchers report that replacing one soft drink per day with water or unsweetened coffee/tea reduced the incidence of diabetes by 14 to 25 percent in a prospective cohort of 25,639 adults enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. Laura O’Connor, et al., “Prospective associations and population impact of sweet beverage…