Assignment 16- Katelyn Rowell- Speech

Sugar. It’s everywhere. While we all know it’s not good for our health, we fail to realize the abundance of sugar in our diets. The American Heart Association recommends that men should consume no more than 36 grams of added sugar daily, while women’s intake should not exceed 25 grams. However, the average American consumes more than 77 grams each day. This is especially alarming when considering that overconsumption of sugar places Americans at risk for chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. In order to fight the rising percentage of Americans living with chronic conditions, a plethora of researchers have focused their work on sugar consumption and have found that beverages account for almost half of all added sugars in the typical American diet. This should come as no surprise when considering that are 39 grams of sugar in one 12 ounce can of coke. This single can already exceeds the recommended daily sugar limit for both men and women. As stated by Marlene Dietrich, sugary drinks are the “gooey, bubbly sea drowning” Americans. The question is not one of whether sugar consumption is an issue- it’s a matter of how to solve it. In 2018, the United Kingdom implemented a tax on sugary drinks. Similar taxes are found in over thirty countries and even seven cities in the U.S. Following the implementation of such taxes, debate has grown over whether or not their implementation should be encouraged across the U.S. 

In order to answer such a question, one must assess what the tax actually does. In cities where the tax is implemented, consumers are taxed around one cent per ounce of a sugary drink they purchase. In order to qualify as a sugary drink, the UK specifies that it must have over 5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters. Despite being known as the soda tax, the tax would include energy and sports drinks, and even fruit juices. Its goal is to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks, thus lowering the daily sugar intake as well. According to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, citizens of Philadelphia, a city where such a tax has recently been implemented, were 40%  less likely to report drinking sugary drinks than citizens of comparison cities. In addition, 58% said they were more likely to drink water after the tax was implemented. Thus, a tax on sugary drinks in Philadelphia has already started to change the habits of its citizens, and these benefits are only expected to grow. According to a study published by the Public Library of Science, a similar tax that was implemented in Mexico is projected to prevent 134,000 cases of diabetes by 2030. By lowering the consumption of sugary drinks, these taxes are lowering the risks of developing chronic diseases. The World Health Organization estimates that, if implemented across the U.S., a sugar tax would result in over $17 billion in healthcare savings over the course of ten years.

Not only does the tax have health benefits by influencing consumers to make healthier choices, but it also generates funds that could support programs to improve health across the United States. As stated by Dr. Laura Schmidt, "What’s great about soda taxes is that they do two things at once for health: nudge consumers away from buying these unhealthy products while raising funds from soda distributors to cover programs that address the health harms of their products." Similar to how tobacco taxes fund critical health programs, sugar taxes could provide similar effects. In Philadelphia, the tax generates over $75 million dollars annually. Such funds could be allocated to programs devoted to promoting healthier foods in schools, starting initiatives to prevent chronic disease, or increasing access of low-income families to healthier food. After implementing the tax in 2015, Berkeley, California used the revenue to fund a gardening program to teach students healthy habits. The taxation of sugary drinks provides funds to improve the health of communities.

However, despite these benefits, those in opposition argue that, following the implementation of a soda tax, consumers could still eat the same amount of sugar via other sources such as baked goods instead of through their normal sugary drinks. And while this could be true, statistics have shown that such taxes are already influencing the habits of the majority of the citizens that are impacted by them. In addition, the debate over sugar taxes in itself raises awareness among the minds of consumers. As explained by researcher Kristine Madsen, “Taxes also send a message about societal values, which can have a big impact on consumer behavior.” (Manke 2019).  By bringing attention to the subject of sugar intake, these potential taxes are already influencing the choices of consumers.

Returning to the original question, should taxes on sugary drinks be encouraged across the United States? Provided the health benefits and funds such taxes provide, I believe their implementation should be encouraged. However, in saying this, I do recognize that they are not going to be to cure the obesity epidemic alone. Growing rates of type 2 diabetes aren’t going to disappear overnight. However, I do believe that sugar taxes are one step in the right direction to lowering daily sugar intake and preventing the onset of chronic diseases. There is still a whole marathon ahead of us, but with soda taxes, we’ll be one step closer to the finish line.