Dr Joanna Purdy & Dr Noelle Cotter, (IPH) - A spoonful of sugar…is taxation a solution?

1. A spoonful of sugar….
is taxation a solution?
Dr Joanna Purdy and Dr Noëlle Cotter
Institute of Public Health in Ireland

2. ▷Why tax sugar sweetened drinks (SSDs)?
▷Recommendations to reduce sugar intake
▷SSDs tax elsewhere
▷Policy context in the UK and Ireland
▷Consumption of SSDs across the island of Ireland
▷Expected outcomes from a SSDs tax
Overview
2

3. ▷Consumption of free sugars 2-3 times recommended intake
▷SSDs contribute up to 30% of total sugar intake
▷New WHO and SACN recommendations
▷Links to obesity and a range of non-communicable diseases
▷Empty liquid calories
Do we need a sugar sweetened drinks tax?
Squashes or
cordials
1-5 tsp/200ml
Carbonated
drinks
3-6 tsp/200ml
Source:
safefood
3

4. Has a SSDs tax been effective elsewhere?
Hungary Finland
France Mexico
4

5. Northern Ireland
Republic of
Ireland
Northern Ireland
Health (Miscellaneous
Provisions) Act (2016)
UK
Soft Drinks Industry Levy
Republic of Ireland
Programme for Government -
levy on sugar sweetened
drinks
Health and Taxation Policy
5

6. Consumption of Sugar Sweetened Drinks
Across the island of Ireland, males,
young people and those from
lower socio-economic groups are the
most frequent consumers of SSDs
6

7. Proportion of 11-16 year olds in Northern Ireland
consuming SSDs at least once a day or most
days
37
30 34
22
20 21
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Boys Girls All
%11-16yearolds
Most days
At least once a day
Source: Young Person’s Behaviour and Attitudes Survey 20137

8. Proportion of adults aged 16+ in Northern Ireland
consuming SSDs at least once a day or most
days
50
44
36
26
15 13 16
30
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
16-24 25-35 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+ All
%adultsaged16+
Age groups
Source: Health Survey Northern Ireland 2014/158

9. Proportion of adults aged 16+ in Northern Ireland
consuming SSDs at least once a day or most
days
Source: Health Survey Northern Ireland 2014/15
53
48
39
30
14
30
47
41
32
19
15
28
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55+ All adults
16+
%adultsaged16+
Age groups
Male
Female
9

10. Mean daily consumption (g/day) of SSDs among
children and adults in Northern Ireland
Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008-2012
91
141
258
159
35
169
295
204
112
220
115
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1.5-3 4-10 11-18 19-64 65+
Grams/day
Age group
All
Males
Females
10

11. Mean daily consumption (g/day) of SSDs among
children and adults in Northern Ireland by Multiple
Deprivation Measure
Source: National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008-2012
132
285
222
158
263
150
128
231
115
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
4-10 11-18 19-64
Grams/day
Age group
Tertile 1 (most deprived)
Tertile 2
Tertile 3 (least deprived)
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12. ▷⅓ of 11-16 year olds consume SSDs at least once a day, with greater
frequency among boys
▷Three in ten adults consume SSDs most days of the week or more
often
▷Half of all 16-24 year olds consume SSDs most days of the week or
more often, with more frequent consumption among men
▷Boys and men of all ages consume a greater volume of SSDs than girls
and women
▷Lower socio economic groups tend to have a higher daily intake of
SSDs
Consumption of SSDs in Northern Ireland –
key findings
12

13. Proportion of adults aged 15+ in the Republic of
Ireland who consume SSDs
86
68
45
36
58
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
15-24 25-44 45-64 65+ All
%adultsaged15+
Age group
Source: Healthy Ireland Survey 201513

14. Proportion of 13 year olds in the Republic of Ireland
who consumed SSDs in the previous 24 hours
20 17 18
33
25
29
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Boys Girls All
%13yearolds
Once in last 24 hours
More than once in last 24
hours
Source: Growing Up in Ireland Survey 201114

15. Proportion of adults aged 15+ in the Republic of
Ireland consuming SSDs at least once a day or
most days* of the week
36
26
12 10
21
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
15-24 25-44 45-64 65+ All
%adultsaged15+
Age groups
Source: Healthy Ireland Survey 2015 * 4-6 times/week
23% consume
SSDs most
days or more
often
18% consume
SSDs most
days or more
often
15

16. Proportion of adults aged 15+ in the Republic of
Ireland consuming SSDs at least once a day or
most days*
Source: Healthy Ireland Survey 2015 * 4-6 times/week
40
29
12 10
23
32
23
11 10
18
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
15-24 25-44 45-64 65+ All
%adultsaged15+
Age groups
Male
Female
16

17. Proportion of adults aged 15+ in the Republic of
Ireland consuming SSDs at least once a day or
most days* by socioeconomic status
16 18
25 23
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Higher managerial Intermediate Routine or manual Not classified
%adultsaged15+
Occupation
Source: Healthy Ireland Survey 2015 * 4-6 times/week17

18. ▷Almost half of 13 year olds consume SSDs at least once a day
▷Around ⅕ of all adults consume SSDs most days of the week or more
often
▷Over ⅓ of 15-24 year olds consume SSDs most days of the week or
more often
▷Men consume SSDs more often than women across all age groups
▷Those in routine and manual occupations consume SSDs more
frequently than other occupational groups
Consumption of SSDs in the Republic of
Ireland – key findings
18

19. Short term Medium term Long term
Increasing public awareness
of sugar harm
Sharp decrease in SSDs
consumption
Shift in consumer behaviour
Industry push artificially
sweetened beverages and
bottled water etc.
Private label response will
depend on method of
implementation
Taxation gains for
Government
Slight increase in SSDs
purchases but not back to
original
Greater consumer awareness
about sugar
Market shift to alternative
beverages
Advertising shifts to
alternative beverages
No significant impacts on
industry or jobs anticipated
Decreased consumption of
SSDs (cultural change)
Public acceptance may lead
to other health related levies
Dip in population prevalence
rate of overweight and obese
Reduction in costs to the
health service for
overweight/obesity
Marginal reduction in health
inequalities
Ever decreasing revenue
stream for Government
(Source: N Cotter)
Expected outcomes from a SSDs tax
19

20. With thanks to:
Dr Helen McAvoy, Director of Policy, Institute of Public Health in Ireland
Department of Health, Northern Ireland for data analysis of the Young
Person’s Behaviour and Attitudes Survey (2013) and Health Survey
Northern Ireland (2014/15)
Food Standards Agency Northern Ireland for access to the National Diet and
Nutrition Survey Rolling Programme (Northern Ireland) 2008-2012
Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Irish Social Science Data
Archive (www.ucd.ie/issda) and Growing Up in Ireland National Longitudinal
Study of Children (2011)
Department of Health and Irish Social Science Data Archive
for access to Healthy Ireland survey data (2015)
Acknowledgements
20

21. Bates et al (2014) national Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling programme 2008-2012. London:
Public Health England
Colchero et al (2015) Beverage purchases from stores in Mexico under the excise tax on
sugar sweetened beverages: observational study. British Medical Journal. 352: h6704
safefood (2013) The facts about sugary drinks. Cork: safefood
Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (2015) Carbohydrates and Health. London: The
Stationery Office
World Health Organization (2014) Using pricing policies to promote healthier diets. Denmark:
WHO
World Health Organization (2015) Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. Geneva:
WHO
World Health Organization (2016) Good practice brief – Public health product tax in Hungary.
Denmark: WHO
References
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22. Thank you
Any questions?
Email: joanna.purdy@publichealth.ie
noelle.cotter@publichealth.ie
Web: www.publichealth.ie
www.twitter.com/publichealthie
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