An interesting twist on combating the growing obesity epidemic is developing.
This fall San Francisco’s Mayor Gavin Newsom plans to introduce legislation that would charge retailers who sell sugary beverages a fee—levying a soda sales fee. The hope is that the extra fees will financially discourage people from consuming a lot of extra, empty calories.
According to the SF Gate article, Newsom only needs approval from the Board of Supervisors to levy a fee on retailers. A tax on individual cans of soda and sugary juice would require voters’ approval.
Motivation Behind the Soda Fees
According to Newsom, he was motivated to move forward with legislation for a soda fee after a new study on the relationship between soda and obesity was released. Researchers from UCLA demonstrated a link between soda and obesity in California. In this study researchers reported:
Adults who drink at least one soft drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be obese than those who do not.
The study, Commissioned by CCPHA (California Center for Public Health Advocacy), provides scientific evidence of the direct contribution of sugar-sweetened beverages to California’s $41 billion obesity epidemic.
Opposing the Fees
Understandably, the American Beverage Association has fought attempts to implement soda taxes. They released a statement about the new study.
If our goal is to address obesity, then educating consumers about the importance of balancing calories consumed from all foods and beverages with the calories expended through physical activity is what matters – not demonizing any one particular food.
Another soda fee opponent is Jim Lazarus, vice president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. His group wonders:
Does this mean there’s a fee on candy bars, on ice cream, on potato chips? Where do you draw the line?
It is his belief that the additional small fee, which will probably be passed on from the retailer to the consumer, would not be enough to dramatically change people’s habits. Lazarus believes the the soda fee is just another revenue source for the city.
What do you think? Do you think adding a fee to sodas, in the current economic climate, where people are already counting their pennies, may make a difference in decreasing the amount of soda consumed?
Do you think other empty calorie foods should be taxed as well?
Source:
Knight H. September 2009. Newsom wants to charge stores that sell sodas. SF Gate.
Dyer K. September 2009. New Research Links Soda to Obesity. Nutrition & Wellness Edublog.
Image: Foxumon. Coins. Royalty Free Use.
October 3rd, 2009
The New York City Public Health Department has launched an innovative, visual campaign to help convince New Yorkers to limit the amount of calories they are consuming from sodas and other sugary beverages by asking them of they are “Pouring on the Pounds.”
You can see the images being used in the campaign below:
The Facts
According to Cathy Nonas in the related blog about the campaign:
The reality is Americans consume 200 to 300 more calories each day than we did 30 years ago. Of these extra calories, nearly half come from sugar-sweetened drinks with zero health benefits.
The number of calories and sugar in different beverages can be quite a bit.
- One 20 oz. bottle of soda = 250 calories with 16 ½ teaspoons of sugar.
- One 20 oz. bottle of lemon-flavored iced tea = 210 calories with 14 ½ teaspoons of sugar.
- One 20 oz Sports Drink = 120 calories with 8 ½ teaspoons of sugar.
A table with the different number of calories and sugar content in different beverages is available on the New York Health Department.
As part of the campaign the Health Department is encouraging people to not drink themselves fat, to cut back on soda and other sugary beverages and go with water, seltzer or low-fat milk instead.
The Campaign
The public-awareness campaign, which includes posters in the subway system and a Health Bulletin, will run for three months.
Do you think that we should do something like this in California to discourage Californians from consuming too many empty beverage calories and fat?
More Information:
Press Release. August 31, 2009. New Campaign Asks New Yorkers if They’re “Pouring On the Pounds.” New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Are Your Pouring on the Pounds? Posters. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Three Versions (Soda, Sports Drinks and Tea) (PDF File)
Health Bulletin. 2009. Are You Pouring on the Pounds? Vol 8, No. 6. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. (PDF File)
September 5th, 2009
More than a decade ago, in 1998, the medical costs due to obesity were estimated to be as high as $78.5 billion. In a recent study, published in the July issue of Health Affairs the authors of the study now estimate the annual healthcare cost of obesity in the US now may be as high as $147 billion dollars a year.
The government-sponsored study was conducted by researchers at RTI International, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Key findings from the study on Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer- And Service-Specific Estimates were summarized in the article on Medical News Today. Lead author Dr Eric Finkelstein and colleagues found:
- In 1998 the medical costs of obesity in the US were estimated at around 78.5 billion dollars a year, half of which was financed by Medicare and Medicaid.
- Between 1998 and 2006, the prevalence of obesity in the US went up by 37 per cent.
- This rise in obesity prevalence added 40 billion dollars to the annual healthcare bill for obesity.
- Obesity is now responsible for 9.1 per cent of annual medical costs compared with 6.5 per cent in 1998.
- The medical costs for an obese person are 42 per cent higher than for a person of normal weight.
- This equates to an additional 1,429 dollars per year: the costs for an obese person on Medicare are even greater.
- Much of the additional Medicare cost for an obese person are the result of the added prescription drug benefit.
- Medicare prescription drug payments for obese recipients are about 600 dollars a year more than for normal weight recipients.
- Obesity accounts for 8.5 per cet of Medicare expenditure, 11.8 per cent of Medicaid expenditure, and 12.9 per cent of private insurance expenditure.
- The annual healthcare costs of obesity could be as high as 147 billion dollars for 2008.
In looking at this information it isn’t hard to see how reducing the health cost due to obesity would significantly reduce our overall healthcare costs.
Focusing on keeping people healthy, keeping children from becoming obese adults, aggressively treating increases in weight gain and those who are in the overweight category would be cost effective ways of helping to reduce these staggering costs due to obesity.
Resources:
Paddock C. July 2009. Obesity Healthcare Costs US 147 Billion Dollars A Year, New Study. Medical News Today.
Finkelstein EA, Trogdon JG, Cohen JW. Dietz W. July 2009. “Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer- And Service-Specific Estimates.” Health Affairs , Web Exclusive, July 27, 2009
Image: Michal Zacharzewski. Shadow Fat Man. Royalty Free Use.
August 31st, 2009
