Archived Shitlords, it's World Obesity Day! How will you mark the occasion? (obesityday.worldobesity.org)
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Archived on: 1/10/2018 10:00:00 AM
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Archived Shitlords, it's World Obesity Day! How will you mark the occasion? (obesityday.worldobesity.org)
submitted ago by Shitwherever
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[–] thinANDintelligent 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Apparently, yes. It has been worded as:
Now, I work for a beetus company and I know that in recent years many of our products have been reformulated in anticipation of this sort of tax, so it really will be things like juices that will bring in this sort of revenue. Of course some sodas fall into this category as well, I'm not suggesting they won't. Even so, a typical 330 mL can will probably only rise by about 7c each.
I genuinely think that people will be surprised at what prices will actually rise once this is introduced. If people are buying 5 L cartons of orange juice for their family breakfasts for a week, to see that jump in price by €1.50 overnight will force them to realise how much sugar they are consuming in liquid form. Or, they can ignore the sugar content and go for a cheaper option that will potentially contain less sugar.
You can make information as readily available to people as you like, but until that information is made relevant to them (in this case by the cost of the product) they are likely to just keep their head in the sand and remain willfully ignorant.
A lot of the conversation surrounding this tax introduction has centered on the obesity epidemic and it has been a mainly positive reception to what is essentially a price increase across the board of an entire product market. This is the most open conversation I have ever heard, on a public level, of the obesity crisis and I think that is fantastic. We should have had this conversation much earlier - what with there now being a demand for 42 inch waistbands in primary school uniforms!!.
Ireland does try to highlight the obesity crisis and encourage change, but it always seems short lived or doesn't reach those who need to change the most. Tax was the way to go. Ill happily pay more for my own beetus, I don't drink enough of it to impact on my pocket. And if this ultimately leads to benefiting the health sector, public conversation about obesity, education, awareness and reform, I'm sure I'll put up with another tax. I'm also interested in seeing if there are any drinks I will be surprised to see a price increase. Anything that I wouldn't have considered. Lots of people have commented on the fact that excise on alcohol has not been increased in this budget. Silly gooses, certain alcohols fall under this sugar tax too - people don't know what it is they are bloody ingesting...
I tried to link the article I quoted but I can't while on mobile.
[–] drivesaconvertible 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago (edited ago)
Don't think this will do much, there's people lined up at McD's every day and it's not because it's cheaper than making your own food. It's laziness.
Orange juice is perfectly healthy in reasonable amounts, making that more expensive or having parents choose a nutrient-free diet soda instead is not a step forward. Worse, it actually adds validity to the "it's too expensive to eat healthy" argument.
[–] thinANDintelligent 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
That's a fair point. However, there is a mentality - definitely where I live on Ireland, I'm not sure about the rest - where people go on health kicks by cutting out fizzy drinks etc and instead of increasing their water intake, they replace the soda with juices and other drinks marketed as healthy but contain a lot of sugars. People seem to forget about moderation and portion sizes when considering healthy choices.
While I hate the idea of a nanny state, people really have proven they can't be trusted to take care of themselves or their children. A sugar tax is only a hop skip and a jump away from a fat tax. That's when the McD's and other fast food places will be hit. Lazy or not, eventually you won't be able to afford the quantities of food, if it is that expensive.
I don't think it will do much by itself, but it is the first step in the right direction. And I love that it has started a public conversation focused on the negative impact of obesity.