News Releases & Statements
Industry Critics Continue to Push Ineffective Approaches to Combating Obesity with Latest Paper
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2009
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Industry Critics Continue to Push Ineffective Approaches to Combating Obesity with Latest Paper
In response to "The Public Health and Economic Benefits of Taxing Sugar-Sweetened Beverages," a Health Policy Report published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, Susan Neely, president and CEO for the American Beverage Association (ABA), issued the following statement:
"We agree that obesity is a serious public health issue, but the solution put forth by these researchers simply won't work. Reducing obesity will only be addressed through comprehensive solutions.
The fact is that the compendium of science, regardless of funding source, does not show that soft drinks or other sweetened beverages uniquely contribute to obesity - nor, for that matter, that they are uniquely linked to any negative health consequences. In fact, the authors fail to cite a study funded by the Canadian government that examined a sample size of more than 137,000 school-aged children in 34 countries - a sample size larger than the combined total of the studies that were cited by these researchers - and found no association between soft drink intake and body mass index. Furthermore, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine supported that all calories count - and that balancing calories consumed from all foods and beverages with the calories burned through physical activity is what matters.
While the authors suggest a 1 cent per ounce tax for any beverage with caloric sweeteners, there is no science to support that this would have a measurable impact on our nation's waist line. Importantly, taxes will not teach our children how to live a healthy lifestyle. In fact, excise taxes on soft drinks simply do not reduce obesity rates. West Virginia and Arkansas are two prime examples - both have excise taxes on soft drinks, yet rank fifth and sixth highest in the nation for obesity rates. Furthermore, a study out of George Mason University's Mercatus Center shows that even a 15-cent per can tax would result in only a .02 change in body mass index. This amount isn't even measurable on a bathroom scale. And, importantly, our industry has reduced calories per ounce produced by more than 24 percent since 1998, yet obesity rates continued to climb during that same time period.
While science, data and common-sense show that a tax won't work, a tax will cause real harm to hard-working American families at a time when they are already struggling to stay afloat during a recession. The American public views it as an over-reach when the government tries to tell them what to eat and drink.
Taxing soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce obesity is simply the wrong public policy for such a complex problem. Rather than demonizing any one particular food or beverage, what we must do is focus on nutrition education that underscores the importance of balancing all calories consumed with calories burned through physical activity. By doing so, we give our children the tools to maintain a healthy weight throughout their life."
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The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.
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