Sugar-Sweetened Beverages In The 1800s

Ever since the introduction of sugar-sweetened beverages back in the late 1800s, intake of sugar-sweetened beverages has increased around the globe. For example, between 1999 and 2006, intake of these beverages has doubled in Mexico across all age groups (Barquera 2008). As well as in the United States, between 1977 and 2002, the intake of caloric beverages per capita doubled across all age group (Duffey 2002). The obesity epidemic has brought the attention of public health measures to prevent diet related diseases. “Sugar-sweetened beverages (soda sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, or other caloric sweeteners and other carbonated and [non-]carbonated drinks, such as sports and energy drinks) may be the single largest driver of the obesity

In another study which lasted 8 years involving women showed that those who increased their intake of sugar-sweetened beverage at year 4 and maintained gained 8kg, whereas those women who had decreased their intake of those beverages at year 4 and maintained gain only 2.8kg (Schulze 2004). Crucial factors when considering introducing an effective policy include the definition of taxable beverages, the type of tax (sales tax or excise tax), and the tax rate. Economists agree that when less-than-optimal production and consumption aren’t met, the government’s intervention in the market is warranted when there are “market failures” (Cawley. 2004, Finkelstein. 2005). Some market failures are related to sugar-sweetened beverages because most people do not appreciate the links between the health consequences and consumption of these beverages and the fact that they make decisions with imperfect information (Brownell

Excise taxes could be levied on producers and wholesalers, and the cost would almost certainly be passed along to retailers, who would then incorporate it into the retail price; thus, consumers would become aware of the cost at the point of making a purchase decision (Brownell 2009).” However, a focus group conducted in the UK which consist of ninety-four participants (48 men, 46 women), showed that pricing makes no differences to behavior, government operates as an enterprise and introducing pricing policies thus generating income and government and the evidence it cites is not trustworthy (Somerville