VVD, D66, CDA and CU want to make ‘binding agreements with the industry about healthier foods’. It all still has to be worked out, but in short it has been promised: “We are increasing the tax on sugary drinks. We are looking at how we can introduce a sugar tax in the long term and reduce the VAT on fruit and vegetables to zero percent.”
It doesn’t get any more concrete than that, but these short sentences generate enthusiasm at the Nutrition Center, which provides information about food and nutrition. “That combination of making sugary products such as soft drinks more expensive, and making healthy food cheaper, is the best. The greater the discrepancy, the better,” says Liesbeth Velema, nutrition and behavior expert.
50 percent is too heavy
For years there have been calls to do something about obesity. Fifty percent of the Dutch are overweight. The government wants to reduce this percentage to 38 percent by 2040.
Weight loss has become even more urgent due to the corona crisis. Health problems mainly occur in people who are overweight. Moreover, a large part of the healthcare costs is related to an unhealthy lifestyle.
–
–
In 2018, the government signed the National Prevention Agreement, which contains more than 200 agreements and goals. “This political decision can contribute to that,” explains Velema.
Scientific proof
And the measure will certainly have an effect – although it depends on how it is implemented. “There is plenty of scientific evidence that it can be an effective means of reducing sugar consumption.”
That evidence comes from many other countries that have already introduced a sugar tax – or some form of it. In Mexico, South Africa, Chile, the Philippines, and also closer to home: the United Kingdom, France and Norway.
–
–
Last year, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) after an analysis still concluded: the sale of taxed soft drinks is declining. More healthier alternatives are being sold in the UK and Norway. And in the UK, factories have adapted their recipes as a result of the measure.
And the latter is also a win, says Velema. “People can still buy their cola there, but with much less than sugar than here in the Netherlands.”
–
–
The effect of the sugar tax depends on many factors, such as its size, the availability of alternative foods, the relative price of food, a person’s spending habits and other changes in the cost of living. “So that’s always a matter of waiting. But the government is already sending a good signal.”
How much more expensive should soft drinks and juice become to see the real effect of the measure? “In theory, a price increase of 10 percent can already lead to a drop in sales of 9 to 13 percent. And if you go a little further, about a 20 percent price increase, you see an even stronger effect. People then really opt for less sugary products. drinks.”
–
–
Foodwatch: finally action
Food watchdog foodwatch is also happy with the intention to introduce a sugar tax. “Consumers have been calling for measures to tackle the unhealthy food industry for years. Experience has often shown that voluntary agreements with the food industry do not work.”
Foodwatch is pleased that the government is ‘finally taking effective action’. “The shelves are full of unhealthy soft drinks, healthy food is often more expensive than unhealthy food and children are inundated with junk food advertisements,” says the consumer organization.
–
–
