In Illinois, a state that many Latinos call home, there have been lots of efforts to make healthy community changes to reduce obesity in young people, including efforts to reduce sugary drink consumption. Governor Pat Quinn recently declared February 2014 as Rethink Your Drink Month encouraging Illinoisans to limit their sugary beverage consumption and choose healthier options. The Governor’s proclamation coincides with a wide array of educational events on the health effects of sugary beverage consumption and the benefits of healthier choices being hosted by health departments, schools, non-profits and after-school programs across the state as part of the Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity’s Rethink Your Drink ...
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick delivered his final state budget plan to lawmakers in January 2014. The budget included some measures that would help fund public health initiatives and potentially help folks reduce their sugary drink consumption. Patrick is proposing $57 million in new revenue by applying the state's sales tax to candy and soda. That proposal has been rejected by lawmakers in the past, but Patrick again made the argument in favor of the tax saying the money would go to support public health and infrastructure projects. Read more ...
In collaboration with researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, researchers at the Rudd Center present the Center’s Revenue Calculator for Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes, an online tool which offers estimates of revenue from taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). This calculator, which was revised in January of 2014, produces expected revenue from a penny-per-ounce tax on SSBs by beverage type, state, city and year (2013-2017). Researchers used the most recently available public and proprietary data on beverage consumption, population, pricing, as well as socio-demographic information on the variation in SSB consumption to populate the updated calculator. Check out the money your city or state could raise by taxing ...
On January 8, 2014, the California Food Policy Council (CAFPC) released its first report to evaluate California’s legislative record related to food and farms. It is the first state-policy-focused analysis of legislative votes in the nation. The report tracks 10 food-related bills that were introduced by California lawmakers in the past year. Chances are, one of the five that passed could affect you! Read the report ...
Mexico holds the title of the world's fattest country, but the Mexico's leaders have decided to do something about the out-of-control obesity epidemic. Beginning in January 2013, a new law will place an 8 percent tax on most junk food and a peso-per-liter tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. Health advocates in the United States are excited to see if the new tax puts a dent in soda consumption and the obesity rate. In the past, soda tax proposals have not been successfully passed in the U.S., but many believe Mexico's new laws may encourage folks in the U.S. to reconsider taxing sugary drinks. Read more ...
Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages is likely to decrease consumption, resulting in lower rates of diabetes and heart disease—and these health benefits are expected to be greatest for low-income, Hispanic and African-American Californians, according to a new study, HealthCanal reports. The study, led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, Oregon State University and Columbia University, “modeled the national health effects of a penny-per-ounce tax over the course of 10 years and found that it would reduce consumption among adults by 15 percent.” Read more ...
Can raising the price of sugary drinks convince people to buy them less? A new Harvard study found that raising the cost of high-calorie beverages by a few cents and highlighting calorie content in places where they are sold, decreases sales. Researchers at Harvard conducted a study in the cafeteria of a financial services company. They increased the price of high-calorie beverages (those that contained 150 calories or more per container), mostly soda, lemonade, whole chocolate milk, and some juices, by one cent per ounce. Could this lead folks to believe that a soda tax would encourage people to drink less sugary drinks? Read more about the study ...
Beginning in mid-November of 2013, the University of Michigan Health Systems will only be offering healthy beverages on their campus and in their vending. This initiative is part of their commitment of health to their community and visitors of their Hospitals, Health Centers, administrative buildings, and Medical school. The new list of approved beverages for sale and distribution includes; water, flavored or infused waters, milk, tea, 100% fruit juice, diet beverages, coffee, and sugar-free sweetened coffee drinks (sugar packets will still be offered). Things no longer offered at these locations will be; non-diet soft drinks, sweetened fruit-flavored drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened teas, and sweetened coffees. The inclusion of healthier beverages will go beyond the ...
A new study released on October 17th, 2013 by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy reports on soda consumption among California youth. The study titled, Still Bubbling Over: California Adolescents Drinking More Soda and Other Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, reports data variations in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among children and adolescents from 2005-07 and 2011-12. Among other demographics statistics, the study found that while younger Latino kids have decreased their consumption of sugary drinks, adolescent Latinos have increased how many sugary drinks they have a day. Check out the full report ...
