SODA: Will Americans pay the extra quarter for a bottle of soda?
By Andrew Carlson, Staff Writer
Special occasions. Parties. Social gatherings. It has become an American custom to pop open a savory can of sweet, sugary soda at these joyful events. No harm done. Just a can. But every day? This is the dilemma we face today.
Soda is one of the major causes of obesity worldwide. The carbonated drink has received a lot of criticism over the past years as people attempt to be healthier. But does soda need to be taxed in order to get people to stop drinking it?
In the last two weeks of November 2016, five additional cities have joined the soda tax movement. Boulder, Colorado, three California Bay Area cities (San Francisco, Oakland and Albany) and Cook County, Illinois have passed a law regarding a tax on sugary drinks. These cities unite with Berkeley, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as part of a soda-taxing group. The tax ranges from one cent to two cents per ounce.
Will these soda taxes make a dent in the obesity epidemic? Since passing the tax, Berkeley has witnessed a soda consumption drop by 21 percent (compared to 4% increases in comparison cities) and water consumption increase by 63% (compared to 19% in comparison cities). Obviously, this tax has has effectively cut down the intake of soda in communities; so, why is there so much controversy and resistance surrounding the tax? It is because powerhouse companies, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have had a stronghold on the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) industry for decades, and they are not ready to lose this dominant position. Water and tea sales have increased in the taxed areas, rivaling the SSB powerhouses. To avoid economic losses, both companies have poured millions into advertisements and propaganda. Supporters of the tax, such as Jim Krieger, executive director of a nonprofit group called Healthy Foods America, claims that “[Soda companies] are fighting a losing battle at this point. We know we have the facts on our side.”
The facts Krieger refer to come from a wide array of sources. For example, the country of Mexico has one of the highest diabetes rates in the world-right alongside America. They implemented a soda tax in 2014, and researchers project that over the next ten years, there will be 189,300 fewer cases of diabetes and a net savings total of nearly 1 billion dollars. The researchers also projected 20,400 fewer incidents of strokes and heart attacks, and 18,900 fewer deaths. These are amazing statistics that would certainly be welcomed in America, where about 12 percent of the adult population struggle with diabetes. And yet, until last week, only six cities had implemented a tax. Big soda companies do not want to lose their economic prowess, and they have done everything they can to push against this movement. But, is it really worth endangering the lives of American people simply to maintain industrial dominance? No. People have died from obesity and diabetes; it should never be worth a person’s life to stay rich. Will these new taxes live up to the projections? If they do, America will be looking at 222 million extra dollars as a result of decreased health care costs. There will be 37,000 less obese people every 10 years. An extra quarter saved off every bottle of Coke or Pepsi or Sprite does add up, and it could spill over into a healthier America.