Sugar Tax - Failed?

[Listlad]

If we stopped perpetuating the idea that humans should eat potions boiled up in government controlled industrial cauldrons, we wouldn’t need to plough so much money into the NHS in order to treat the consequences. Chicken & egg? Pun intended

That might well be right.

 

[Listlad]

So do we go with Aseem Malhotra on this or do we just cherry pick out only the elements of his thinking that suits?

 

[Member496333]

So do we go with Aseem Malhotra on this or do we just cherry pick out only the elements of his thinking that suits?

Not sure what you mean by this? I have a lot of respect for Malhotra and he has achieved a great deal. But that doesn't mean I have to agree with everything he says. It's possible to agree on some matters and disagree on others. It happens all day every day in all walks of life. Blind allegiance is unnecessary and, in my opinion, not very productive.

 

[NicoleC1971]

Probably a matter of perspective, but personally I think any sugar taxation measure that results in increased sugar consumption is a failure. This one was just kicking the can down the road. But I'm biased because, as I said above, I was largely opposed in the first place.

I have a friend working for Swiss Re. and she informs me that they are looking into the food companies becoming liable for putting hidden sugars in foods when it is known to be a dangerous substance just like the tobacco companies were threatened with massive liability claims and eventually had to cough up (pun intended)>

 

[Member496333]

I suppose the irony of all of this is that the 'food' companies only began filling their products with added sugar because otherwise everything tasted like paper after they were relentlessly pressured to remove all the fat. Decades later, governments are getting all evangelical and demanding the sugar be removed, like they weren't at least partially complicit in putting it there. The war on saturated fat is to blame for all of this, and now everyone is trying to cover their tracks.

 

[Robbity]

I suppose the irony of all of this is that the 'food' companies only began filling their products with added sugar because otherwise everything tasted like paper after they were relentlessly pressured to remove all the fat.

I was unfortunate(?) enough to taste one of the early incarnations of fat free yoghurt which tasted like watered down chalk and this actually convinced me to remain eating full fat products rather than the newfangled reduced fat ones.

Robbity

 

[Jay-warrior]

Agreed. It's capitalism at work and entirely expected. I just find it mildly amusing that, allegedly, sugar consumption has increased as a result of a measure that was meant to reduce it. I was never in favour of a "sugar tax" anyway. I believe in education and personal responsibility over legislation and bullying. Taxing sugar in processed foods isn't the answer to the world's health crisis. The answer is not eating processed foods.

I agree with you that it is personal responsibility that is the solution to the health crisis we are currently witnessing. However, most people trust so much in the judgment and professional advices of their health care professionals and are "wrongfully" led to believe that sugar or carbs are okay.