Sweeteners Sugar tax J
ust a few centuries ago, sugar was an unimaginable luxury to all but the rich and powerful. As late as 1700, the per-capita consumption of the typical Briton was less than 10lb, although your average tenant farmer probably enjoyed far less than that. The rise of modern industrialisation – to say nothing of a globalised economy that cheapened imports – would change everything. By the turn of the 20th century, most Victorians
were guzzling around 60lb of sugar each year. And by the time of the 21st, that figure had doubled, with biscuits and muffins now making up a stomach- churning proportion of the British diet. Obviously, the UK is far from alone here. Across the developed world, a bonanza of processed food has transformed national cuisines; with consequences that span from bad to terrible. That’s true
when considering the effect on the individual body,
of course, with diabetes and heart disease being only two illnesses that could blight those addicted to sugar. But more than that, an excess of sugar can often have broader societal consequences. To return to the UK, for instance, recent government research estimates that treating obesity, of which sugar is doubtless a contributing factor, directly costs the NHS some £6bn each year. Not even the most laissez faire minister could hope to close
66 Ingredients Insight / wwwIngredients Insight /
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gone flat?
Attempts at reducing sugar consumption are well-documented, with one notable example being the success of the sugar tax on fi zzy drinks in the UK. But with the broader food industry struggling to reach voluntary 20% targets – no thanks to a lack of enforcement from the government – what’s next in the fi ght against the white stuff? Andrea Valentino speaks to Professor Graham MacGregor of Queen Mary University of London and Jane DeVille-Almond of the British Obesity Society to learn more.
their eyes to a tax bill that large. It’s unsurprising, then, that politicians of all stripes have spent years battling the exploding scourge of sugar, promoting everything from healthy eating campaigns to advertising limits in the media.
Andrii Zastrozhnov/
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