Health bodies jointly call for a soft drink tax as national health declines

A proposed 20 per cent levy on sugary drinks could put a dent in the obesity crisis costing $4.3 billion annually, which could outpace the dangers of smoking in coming years.

Leading health bodies have called on the Albanese government to place a levy on soft drinks and sugary drinks, in an effort to tackle Australia’s obesity crisis.

The Australian Medical Association, Cancer Council, Australian Dental Association, Food for Health Alliance, Diabetes Australia and Heart Foundation are pushing the Rethink Sugary Drink campaign, aiming to institute a 20 per cent health levy on manufacturers.

The alliance says a government-backed tax would encourage companies to reformulate their drinks, and incentivise consumers to lower their intake by an estimated 2.6kg of sugar annually.

“If we pool all the evidence and look at what (it) tells us from around the world, there’s now no doubt that (levies) reduce the consumption of sugary drinks. Now we’re hoping that that will translate into health benefits,” AMA president Steve Robson said.

“A price signal is really important in a cost-of-living crisis. We ­really need to rethink whether we’re going to buy a big bottle of sugar-laden soft drink.

“I think it’s dawning on people just what a huge problem overweight and obesity is.”

The levy would be expected to prevent 4400 heart disease cases, 1100 strokes and 16,000 type 2 diabetes diagnoses over 25 years, roughly 1 per cent of the type 2 diabetes cases annually.

Obesity costs the public health system $4.3bn annually; a levy on sugary drinks could funnel $967m to $1bn back into treatments.

Food for Health Alliance executive manager Jane Martin. Picture: Supplied

“We know young people and people on low incomes will have significant health gains and savings in healthcare expenditure as a result of reducing the amount of sugary drinks that they consume,” Food for Health Alliance executive manager Jane Martin said.

“A lot of the costs of obesity are paid by the individual in out-of-pocket expenses. So in the longer term, decreases in purchases and consumption of sugary drinks will lead to health gains and savings.”

Much of Australia’s obesity crisis is consolidated in Central Australia, where cases are rising and presenting in increasingly younger patients.

“In Australia, we have a cheap alternative (to these drinks), we have a good source of water,” Dr Martin said.

“Even if (corporate bodies) choose not to reformulate their products, this will support consumers to think twice about the cost of their drink, and encourage and support them to shift.”

Logan resident Glenn Lewis has lived with type 2 diabetes since 2017, and has cut sugar out of his diet, urging others to regulate their intake.

“One of the things I did many years ago, well before I got diabetes, was to limit my sugar intake. I stopped putting sugar in coffee and tea, or in my cooking,” he said.

“I reprogrammed my tastebuds and got used to drinking tea and coffee … without sugar.”

Glenn Lewis has had type 2 diabetes since 2017 and cut sugar from his diet. Picture: Supplied

The 72-year-old retiree left work to take care of his wife following her terminal lung cancer diagnosis. It was a sign he had to take care of himself better so he could take care of her. “There’d be more people alive at my age if you got rid of sugar,” he said.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has estimated that by 2025, overweight and obesity will be the leading cause of death and health issues if left unaddressed.