Tag: SSBs
-
Study Alleges Link Between Soft Drink Consumption and Pancreatic Cancer
A recent study has allegedly linked soft drink consumption to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Mark Pereira, et al., “Soft Drink and Juice Consumption and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: The Singapore Chinese Health Study,” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, February 2010. Using data from 60,524 participants enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, researchers…
-
Tom Hamburger & Kim Geiger, “Beverage industry douses tax on soft drinks,” Houston Chronicle, February 8, 2010
According to this article, pressure from the beverage industry has made policymakers think twice about imposing a tax on sugary beverages, which some have viewed as a way to address both revenue deficits and obesity. The reporters discuss how Congress has handled the issue since the Obama administration indicated an interest in the tax in…
-
New York Governor Proposes Soda Tax to Help Balance Budget
New York Governor David Paterson (D) has released a 2010-11 executive budget proposal that calls for “a new excise tax of approximately one penny per ounce on sugared beverages linked to obesity ($465 million).” According to the proposal, which claims that obesity-related disease costs the state’s health care system $7.6 billion annually, the so-called soda…
-
California Lawmakers Hear Testimony on Sweetened Beverages
Nearly 20 organizations reportedly testified last week about the purported link between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity at a special joint hearing of California’s Senate Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes and the Senate Health Committee. Several researchers reportedly linked sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and obesity, but an American Beverage Association representative cited research showing that 5.5…
-
Soft Drink Tax Could Generate $10 Billion Annually, Says CSPI
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has issued a paper claiming that a state tax on sugar-sweetened beverages “would yield billions of dollars in new revenue and counter the alarming risks of obesity, poor nutrition, and displacement of more healthful foods and beverages.” Echoing similar proposals published in the New England Journal of…
-
Slate Writers Challenge Effectiveness of Proposed “Fat Tax”
“It may take more than an analogy with tobacco to convince voters,” argues Daniel Engber in the first of two recent Slate articles questioning the effectiveness of a proposed federal tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and other “hyperpalatable” food products. Titled “Let Them Drink Water: What a Fat Tax Really Means for America,” the article asserts…
-
California Senator, Consumer Groups Allege Link Between Soft Drink Consumption and Obesity
The chair of the California Senate’s Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes has reportedly announced a November 2009 hearing to discuss the purported link between sweetened beverage consumption and obesity. An author of the state’s menu labeling laws, California Senator Alex Padilla (D-San Fernando Valley) issued the September 17, 2009, press release in response to…
-
CDC’s “Weight of the Nation” Conference Addresses Obesity Epidemic
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hosted a “Weight of the Nation” conference July 27-29, 2009, in Washington, D.C., to explore ways of tackling the nation’s escalating rates of obesity. Treating obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis reportedly costs some $147 billion annually. Speakers at the inaugural event included CDC…