The Sunday Times offered a readers pool on sugar tax and 68% think that a sugar tax is a good idea. The tax only applied to soft drinks but tax revenue increased by £355 million and sugar in soft drinks dropped by 46%. The result? Levels of type 2 diabetes has increased 680,000! So, no it hasn’t worked. Why? Because obesity and therefore diabetes is caused by excess sugar consumption and sugar exists outside soft drinks. It is prevalent in all fast foods which is becoming increasingly popular especially with young people. What do YOU think should be done to reduce obesity and its association with chronic diseases? All governments agree that prevention is better than cure but refuse to initiate it. Why? Because they are afraid of the criticism from the media and the potential loss of voter support. They are COWARDS. Goddam it. The obesity crisis is massively expensive and the fallout is one of misery so it needs the courageous policy of initiating a tax on sugar, salt and fatty foods. Across the board. Anything else is doomed to failure.
