Positive response from profession to sugary drinks tax
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- Published: Tuesday, 22 March 2016 06:56
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The British Dental Association (BDA), the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD), Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP(UK)), Denplan and the British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) have all responded to the Chancellor’s proposal to introduce a sugar levy on the soft drinks industry from 2018. All welcomed the initiative as a first step on the road to an effective preventive strategy.
Mick Armstrong, Chair of the BDA, said: “Many were expecting half-measures from Government on sugar, so today’s announcement looks like progress. Britain’s sugar addiction is costing the health service billions, and it’s only right the drinks companies should make a fair contribution. Health professionals are confronting a preventable epidemic, and parents, government and the food industry all need play their part. Sugar is cheap, addictive and-nutrient free, and industry finally has a reason to start cutting the dose.”
Stephen Fayle, spokesman for BSPD said: “We welcome the levy on soft drinks which are a major factor in the unacceptably high levels of dental decay in children. But we would like the levy to be the first step in an integrated campaign to eliminate childhood caries, including a national programme of prevention. Dental caries in children is largely preventable but as a society we are spending more than £30m per annum on extractions under general anaesthetic.”
Mick Horton, FGDP Dean, said: “This is definitely a step in the right direction. Sugary drinks are now children’s biggest source of dietary sugar. In England, two in ten are obese by the time they leave primary school, and tooth extraction is the primary reason why children are admitted to hospital. Whilst investing in school sport is laudable, there is a need to educate the public as to the dangers of a high sugar diet and the potential risks to health of childhood obesity, diabetes and avoidable dental extractions. The government could have used this levy to challenge the culture in which the average person drinks two litres of high sugar soft drinks every week, and we look forward to seeing further measures in the Childhood Obesity Strategy.”
Denplan’s Deputy Chief Dental Officer, Dr Henry Clover, commented: “We’re pleased that the Government has listened to the scientific evidence and advice from various campaign groups, as well as the wishes of thousands of members of the general public, and taken appropriate action to implement a levy on the production of sugary soft drinks – a leading factor of obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay. While this is no silver bullet, it is a very significant and welcome step in the right direction to changing consumer sugar habits in the UK, and in ultimately trying to tackle the associated oral health and overall health risks of a diet high in processed sugar.”
Fiona Sandom, president of the British Association of Dental Therapists said: “The Chancellor’s introduction of a sugary drinks tax is a positive step forward – and highlights the need for health education, especially about children’s dental health – an issue which often gets overshadowed by the so-called childhood ‘obesity crisis’. Because more serious health problems can result from poor dental health, I would have preferred to see a significant proportion of the revenue put towards improving access to preventative dental health care, particularly in the more deprived areas of the UK. Moving forward, there now needs to be consistency and clarity in food labelling, as well as some robust measures taken to limit the strategies of drinks companies especially as tactical marketing ploys such as end-of aisle displays, price discounting and sponsorship were all cited as major influencers in the increased sales of carbonated drinks in last year’s Public Health England study.”
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