(Newswire.net — June 29, 2017) –Almost one third of the world’s population is obese or overweight, according to a new study published by The New England Journal of Medicine. Also, the US has the highest rate of obese and overweight children – 13 percent.
That’s why the City of Seattle has taken anti-obesity measures which some describe as drastic. Seattle will be the eighth city in the US to impose a tax on distributors of soda pop and other sugary drinks. Diet soft drinks were exempted, as well as baby formula, medicine, weight-loss drinks and 100 percent fruit juices.
Before the matter was put up for a vote, it had been debated by Seattle officials for months. The new tax was opposed by some business groups and labor unions. They were worried that the plan would burden entrepreneurs and result in job cuts.
But doctors and health organizations, such as the American Heart Association, supported the tax. The American Heart Association reported that soft drinks and sugar sweetened beverages are the largest contributors of added sugars in Americans’ diets.
The decision was passed with seven votes for and one against, according to the Seattle Times.
The tax of 1.75 cents per ounce, which will add about $1.18 to the cost of a 2-liter bottle of soda, will take effect in July 2017.
”It’s a huge win for Seattle,” said Victor Colman, director of the Seattle-based Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition. He added: ”It’s not a panacea for the problem of childhood obesity, but it’s a huge marker to take this step. Consumption drops will happen, and we’re going to see stronger health in the communities that need this the most.”
The tax is expected to raise about $15 million per year, of which some funds will be directed toward the city’s Fresh Bucks program, which helps people to eat more fruits and vegetables.
In November 2014, Berkeley, California, was the first community in the US to pass a targeted tax on soda. Next to follow was Philadelphia, and later taxes on soda and other sugary drinks were also imposed by San Francisco, Oakland, Albany (California), Boulder (Colorado), Cook County and Chicago (Illinois). Similar measures were also announced in Mexico in 2013 and the United Kingdom in 2016, as well as in some European countries.