The tax on sweetened drinks manages to reduce consumption among Chileans

It is considered one of the most effective strategies to combat the epidemic of obesity and overweight and, as a result, there are already several nations and cities who have chosen to d & # 39; Apply taxes on sugary drinks. As Chile did in October 2014, it became the second country in the region, after Mexico, to adopt this measure.

Now, a study by researchers from the University of York, UK, and the U. of Chile, shows that its impact has had a sweet and sour taste in the country: although the monthly consumption of high-sugar beverages has been reduced by up to 21.6%, the trend has been observed in particular in middle- and high-income households, not low-income households.

Similarly, there has been no increase in the consumption of low-sugar products, in which the tax rate has been reduced.

They are struggling with the problems of chronic diseases and obesity, so few countries have actually implemented tax policies in this sense, Chile is a rare exception and it is important to see what is happening was the effect, "says El Mercurio Suhrcke, professor at the York University, and senior author of the p paper published yesterday in the journal PLOS Medicine

According to Dr. Cristbal Cuadrado, of the Faculty of Medicine of the United States of Chile and one of the authors of the research, the "results suggest a significant reduction in the consumption of sugar from beverages after the implementation of the tax . From a public health perspective, even small changes in sugar consumption can have a positive impact on the health of the population. "

For the study – which was funded by Conicyt and the UK Research Council, which introduced a similar tax last April – the buying habits of Chilean households' grocery stores were badyzed for three years. years before the introduction of the tax, up to one year after its implementation.

As we saw at the medium and high socio-economic levels, the monthly volume of purchases of Sugar drinks fell by 16% and 31% respectively. "In the lower socio-economic group, the reduction reached 12%.

" Seeing a decrease in middle and upper income groups already involves a large part of the population. However, the insignificant decrease in the low-income group is, at first sight, contrary to expectations, "Suhrcke explains.

According to him, one factor that may explain this is that the high and middle income groups will be better informed to make purchasing decisions based on what the tax implies: that these beverages are less healthy. This can be particularly the case in Chile, where there has not been a big campaign around the introduction of taxes.

Something that happened in Mexico, for example, which introduced a 10% tax on sweetened beverages in January 2014 (in Chile the tax went from 13% to 18%), in addition to According to Dr. Eliana Reyes, director of the Chilean Association of Clinical Nutrition and Nutriloga of the Clinic U. de los Andes, the results of the study do not allow to determine with certainty whether the decrease in consumption was due solely to the increase in its price or in which, "a group of the population became more aware of the problem". Therefore, he believes that, as proposed by the WHO, taxes should be higher.

Suhrcke agrees with this idea. "The policy (in Chile) seems to have had some effect with a relatively low tax, and lawmakers will likely be able to get a lot more with a higher tax, and even more if sugar is not not only taxed on soft drinks., but also in other foods. "

And let's remember that, by itself, the tax does not solve the problem of obesity and its badociated pathologies. "This type of measure is only one part of a set of general policies that, if properly designed, can make a significant contribution."