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Volume 8
Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
ISSN: 2155-9600
Nutrition Congress 2018
June 11-13, 2018
Page 54
Notes:
conference
series
.com
June 11-13, 2018 | Dublin, Ireland
21
st
European
Nutrition and Dietetics Conference
Aisling Aherne, J Nutr Food Sci 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2155-9600-C3-058
Sugar taxes – do they influence consumption and incidence of obesity?
S
everal studies have associated excessive sugar consumption with weight gain and obesity. Across Europe, daily consumption of
total sugars ranges between 15% and 21% of total energy intake among adults and from 16% to 26% in children. Added sugar
intakes range from 7% to 11% in adults and 11% to 17% among children. The major dietary sources of these added sugars are
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) and sweet products. Hence, many countries and/or states implemented or are in the process of
introducing taxes on SSBs. The logic of a sugar tax is that product prices would increase which in turn, would deter purchases and
hence lower consumption. This reduced intake of calories is believed to positively impact on the incidence of obesity. However,
assessing the impact of food taxes on public health is very complex.The economic rationale of sugar taxes is that illnesses associated
with obesity add unnecessary costs to a government’s budget for national health systems. But, do the sugar taxes work? Sugar taxes
have altered patterns in both the food industry as well as consumer behaviours – not always in a positive direction. Consumers
have resisted price increases, crossed borders for purchases, and/or consumed non-taxed high sugar-containing products. On the
other hand, there are a limited number of papers documenting decreased purchases of SSBs after a tax was imposed. However,
this reduction in sales is not being reflected in the rising obesity epidemic. There is very little evidence, if any, that SSB taxes
have a positive impact on weight management in overweight and obese individuals. Public health policies, consumer education,
reformulation and portion size adjustments are all key actions to promote healthier eating patterns.
Biography
Aisling Aherne graduated with both a BSc in Nutrition and PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from University College Cork (UCC). Her career has involved working in nutrition
research, science communication, and clinical nutrition support. In April 2016, Aisling joined Kerry Group as Nutrition Science Manager for Europe & Russia. Her role
involves working collaboratively with Kerry RD&A, Marketing, Regulatory, and Commercial teams on projects and opportunities.Aisling is also involved in nutrition research
projects internally and also externally with various third level research institutes. In February 2018, Aisling presented on a Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute webinar
entitled ”
Sugar Reduction: formulating for Success”.
aisling.aherne@kerry.comAisling Aherne
Kerry Group, Ireland