It is premature for the sugar industry to claim that the sugary drinks tax is causing job losses, according to Treasury.

Malnutrition, which includes both obesity and undernutrition, is the leading cause of poor health around the world, and the culprits for the costly obesity epidemic aren’t individual couch potatoes. Instead, governments have failed to curb ‘big food’ placing everybody’s health at stake, according to a major report.

The tax on sugary drinks tax has already generated almost R800-million since it was introduced on 1 April, according to Treasury.

The sugary drinks tax has already generated almost R800-million, and there is a growing call for even higher “sin taxes” to help reverse the VAT increase. HEALTH-E NEWS’ Amy Green reports.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Independent High-Level Commission on NCDs’ new report, Time to Deliver, called for urgent action against chronic diseases and mental disorders, the globe’s leading cause of death and ill-health, but failed to include a recommendation on taxing sugary beverages.

Now that government’s strategy to reduce the sugar intake through the introduction of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages – known as a Health Promotion Levy – consumers in general remain cynical, believing it may not have the desired impact.

South Africa is less than two weeks away from implementing the hard-won tax on sugary drinks. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said now that “we’ve got a foot in the door” he will strengthen the government’s fight against the negative health impacts of sugar by pushing for a higher tax.