Calls for bigger tax on soft drinks as research shows kids drinking more high-sugar beverages

THERE are renewed calls for the federal government to double the tax on soft drinks to 20 per cent after a new study reveals more than one in 10 children drink the sugar-laden, high-calorie drinks every day.

THEY used to be a treat enjoyed at a birthday party or the odd family dinner outing but many children are now indulging in soft drinks every day, helping fuel a growing obesity crisis.

A new study, published in the journal Appetite this week, found half of all children had soft drinks once or more each week and more than one in 10 drank the sugar-laden, high-calorie drinks every day.

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute’s Dr Caroline Miller said the study interviewed 1302 parents to measure factors influencing the frequency of consumption of soft drinks in their children with disturbing findings.

“We found parents had a positive attitude to soft drinks thinking they were enjoyable, good value for money and convenient and the other factor was pester power, kids asking them to buy them of the back of advertising and sports sponsorship,” Dr Miller said.

Research indicates daily consumption of soft drinks are associated with a 69 per cent relative increase in the risk of obesity Dr Miller said, calling for a tobacco-style approach to educate parents about the dangers of children consuming too many sugar sweetened beverages.

Warning labels and educational advertising campaigns about health effects should be part of public health policy, she said.

“There is a causal link between soft drink consumption and obesity and diabetes,” Dr Miller said.

The findings follow renewed calls for the federal government to double the tax on sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) to 20 per cent to address the crippling and unsustainable effects obesity is now having on the health system.

With more than 60 per cent of adults and one in four children overweight or obese, poor diet is now the leading preventable cause of death and disease, ranking ahead of smoking and alcohol-related illness according to data from the Obesity Policy Coalition.

“Diet is the leading cause of death, tobacco is now number three because we’ve taxed it and introduced plain packaging and it’s been very successful,” Jane Martin, executive manager of the OPC, said.

“Sugary drinks are recognised as a major contributing factor to overweight and obesity. A 600ml bottle of soft drink can contain up to 16 teaspoons of sugar.

“Sugary drinks are cheap and heavily consumed and have no nutritional value and putting up the price can have quite a big impact and it can raise funds to subsidise healthier foods.”

Sugary drinks used to attract a sales tax of 30 per cent before being replaced by a 10 per cent GST. Now some soft drinks are cheaper than bottled water.

“There is a causal link between soft drink consumption and obesity and diabetes.”

Professor Louise Baur, paediatrician from the Children’s Hospital at Westmead who works in weight management services, said at the beginning of her career in the 1980s, she never saw children who were obese, but now it was common.

Mexico, the world’s fattest country, introduced a 10 per cent sugar drink tax a year ago to curb consumption and reduce obesity.

The earliest results suggest in the first three months of 2014, purchases of sugary drinks dropped by 10 per cent from the same period in 2013.

“Mexico is a wonderful example and it’ a test case for the rest of the world,” Prof Baur said.

Port Macquarie mum Nicole Warren said she didn’t mind if her girls had soft drinks but only on special occasions.

“We did not give them soft drinks until they were three of four and then only at parties or on special occasions like if we go out to dinner,” Mrs Warren said.

“It’s totally a treat and we never have it in the house and when we are out, it is only a small one, like we’ll share one bottle between them.”