This week I started a short course through Coursera on the subject of Diabetes, which is an affliction that I’ve been struggling with for several years. This blog post serves to document the short writing reflections that are a part of the course…
Week 01 - Fundamentals of Diabetes
In 2014, as part of a larger strategy to combat obesity, Mexico implemented a tax on sugar sweetened beverages. The first studies of its effects show a positive impact with a 11.6% reduction in sales of the taxed drinks.
This kind of public health intervention is being tried out in many countries across the world. Some, like Mexico, use taxation as a means to reduce consumption of certain foods and drinks. Others go the way of limiting access, or completely outlawing a product or ingredient.
Can you think of any examples of this kind of intervention from your own country or region?
Can you find any data that shows if the intervention was efficient or not?
If you want more information about the study you can google “Mexico sugar tax” or read the editorial that accompanied the publication in the BMJ.
In Canada, health and wellness is primarily a provincial responsibility, but since 2020, the Government of Canada has been working on a Framework for Diabetes. Specifically, the framework “…provides common policy direction to help align efforts and to support improved access prevention and treatment for all types of diabetes to ensure better health outcomes” (Government of Canada). It also ensures all stakeholders (which includes provincial and territorial governments responsible for health, Indigenous groups, and other relevant stakeholders) work together on ensuring that there is “…improved access to diabetes prevention and treatment to ensure better health outcomes for Canadians” (Government of Canada).
In 2016, the province of Newfoundland considered adoring a fast food tax as a part of that year’s budget but ultimately rejected the plan as being too costly and difficult to implement in a province with only a population of 500,000 people. The government also faced significant backlash from citizens over the tax, although there were some who supported it. Today, no government in Canada has any kind of a junk food or sugary drink / sin tax although in 2021, the government of British Columbia removed the exemptions of the provincial sales tax on sugary drinks, but it is not a new tax, just an existing tax applying to more products.
In 2017, “University of Toronto nutritional scientists are leading a study with national experts calling on the Canadian government to outlaw junk food marketing to children, impose stricter limits on unhealthy nutrients added to foods, and impose a “sugary drink tax.”” I agree with the idea of outlawing advertising of junk food. Years ago, governments outlawed the advertising of cigarettes, as well as the ability for cigarettes to sponsor events.
See: https://www.utoronto.ca/news/canada-needs-sugary-drink-tax-study-led-u-t-researchers-urges
The Tobacco Free Kids organization notes how: “An international review of the effect of advertising bans on tobacco consumption concluded that: “a comprehensive set of tobacco advertising bans can reduce tobacco consumption but a limited set of advertising bans will have little or no effect.” The study, based on data from 102 countries, found that per capita consumption in countries with complete bans fell by approximately 8 percent, compared with 1 percent for those without such bans. Consumption also declined more quickly in countries with strong advertising bans.” So banning advertising can help to curb uses of certain products.
See: https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/global/pdfs/en/APS_tobacco_use.pdf
Some organizations in Canada have argued strongly against sin taxes on junk food. The Fraser Institute, a right wing think tank, has noted that junk food taxes unfairly punish low income Canadians for whom healthier options are too expensive and therefore out of reach. They also argue that it punishes those who generally make healthy choices but may decide to indulge every now and then, such as when they go to the movies and have a soda, popcorn and chocolate bar to eat while watching their show.
See: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/taxing-unhealthy-foods-wont-reduce-obesity
And, writing in 2020, the Queen’s Journal advocated for Canada to, “Instead of making junk food more expensive, we need to focus on making healthy food affordable. Or, better yet, making our food healthier across the board.” It notes how: “Big corporations producing junk food choose to load it with salt and sugar—not because they have to, but because they know these addictive ingredients will draw customers back time and time again. Instead of taxing consumers for these products like Mexico, Canada should tax the corporations and pressure them into producing healthier food. Doing something as simple as reducing salt and sugar content would make a difference. But junk food corporations won’t do this themselves—they need a push from the government. Taxing these companies or banning certain ingredients could help.” I like this idea of having corporations become more responsible for the food they produce, from food we find in the centre aisles of our grocery stores to the food served at restaurants nationwide.
