Residents of Oakland, California have begun purchasing less sugary drinks since the introduction of a special “soda” tax. This was reported by the University of California at San Francisco.
Hunger has long ceased to be a problem in the developed parts of the world, and in Western countries, as in Russia, the main problem is not malnutrition, but obesity. In this regard, some countries are looking for ways to encourage people to lose weight, as being overweight significantly increases the risk of serious illness and impairs quality of life.
In 2017, the City of Auckland imposed a one cent per ounce (3.5 cents per 100 gram) tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. Researchers compared shopping for sugary drinks in Oakland with shopping in nearby Richmond and Los Angeles, where there is no such tax. The authors examined consumer behavior in these cities 30 months before and after the tax code was enacted. They then used computer simulations to assess how reducing their intake of sugary drinks affects health.
It found that sales of sugar-sweetened beverages fell 26.8% after the tax was introduced. This added an average of 94 healthy life years per 10,000 people and saved the city more than $100,000 per 10,000 people in health care costs.
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