Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes: Industry Response and Tactics

The consumption of sugary beverages (SBs) has increasingly grown in many countries and is a significant contributor to the rise in obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In response, public health officials in multiple countries have pushed for implementing a tax on SBs in order to reduce their consumption. Today, many individuals, especially those of lower socioeconomic status, live in environments in which unhealthy foods and drinks are more accessible than healthier ones. The beverage industry has greatly contributed to the formation of these “obesogenic” environments through their extensive advertising activities and effective marketing strategies. With rising public awareness of sugar’s link to obesity, the industry has heavily invested in campaigns that seek to shift the blame away from their products and has aggressively opposed legislative efforts to pass an SB tax. This perspective will focus on explaining the rationale and necessity of an SB tax by highlighting the tactics the beverage industry has employed that have contributed to the formation and maintenance of the present unhealthy food environment.