Health, Diabetes and a Soda Tax

[SirRumpole]

Speaking of enjoying oneself, many years ago I used to put sugar in tea and coffee and salt on my meals, but decided to give them up.

I can now actually taste the tea, coffee and food instead of the sugar and salt.

Worth a try.

 

[Value Collector]

Why should I pay for the knee and hip operations and diabetes treatments of obese people who were enjoying themselves via gluttony ?

Sure let people enjoy themselves but not on my taxes.

You can say that about just about any illness or injury.

eg why should I pay for a footballers knee injury, why should I pay for surfers skin cancer treatment we all live different lifestyles, we all take health risks, why should I pay for someone else's genetic defect?

As I said before, this sort of tax is just stupid its a form of scape goating mixed with a bit of fat shameing.

 

[SirRumpole]

As I said before, this sort of tax is just stupid its a form of scape goating mixed with a bit of fat shameing.

People who deliberately jeopardise their own health and the taxpayer dollars by substance abuse should be scapegoated.

 

[luutzu]

I enjoyed that. It's nonsense of course.

Why should I pay for the knee and hip operations and diabetes treatments of obese people who were enjoying themselves via gluttony ?

Sure let people enjoy themselves but not on my taxes.

There's high amount of sugar and fat in just about all the canned and manufactured food out there, not just the Coke or fizzies and otherwise usual suspects.

So unless the tax is directed at the likes of coke, all it will do is increase the cost of living; and most of it will be on the lower income folks who consumes more of the canned and fast foods.

To cook a nice and wholesome meal for the family like grandma used to would take a parent two to three hours; most working families might only be able to afford that kind of time on the weekends so during the week it's what is quick and easy.

So in the end might not make people any healthier... they'll reduced their coke and maccas intake maybe

 

[SirRumpole]

There's high amount of sugar and fat in just about all the canned and manufactured food out there, not just the Coke or fizzies and otherwise usual suspects.

So why don't they put less sugar in these foods ?

They know sugar and salt is addictive and they do it to increase their sales.

As I say if the taxes are dependent on the amount of sugar added then just reduce the quantity of sugar added.

 

[basilio]

I posted the story and opened the thread to explore a few issues

1) How the beverage industry worked in Mexico to ensure no significant intervention in their right to sell as much soft drink as the market could bear regardless of consequences on peoples health

2) An exploration of just how quickly and how bad peoples health deteriorated when the soft drink industry gets a clear run at the market place.

3) And finally how a simple direct tax on soft drinks does have an immediate impact on consumption and hopefully peoples health.

Australia isn't as controlled by Coke and co as Mexico. Obesity is bad but not quite up there. So the query is still just what influence does the soft drink industry have on government policy and whether we should consider similar tax measures to change peoples diets.

 

[luutzu]

So why don't they put less sugar in these foods ?

They know sugar and salt is addictive and they do it to increase their sales.

As I say if the taxes are dependent on the amount of sugar added then just reduce the quantity of sugar added.

Seems that if salt, sugar and fat are removed from most mass-produced food, it'd taste like it's been through the industrial revolution

So they mix a lot of those stuff to get to that sweet spot... that and it also preserved the "flavour"?

So if the tax were across the board sugar/fat/salt... cost will just be passed onto the consumers; who will then either have to pay for it or go towards the traditional method which takes a lot of time and will probably costs a lot more.

 

[Value Collector]

People who deliberately jeopardise their own health and the taxpayer dollars by substance abuse should be scapegoated.

why Just substance abuse, why not those who are avoiding sun screen or playing risky sports?

I am not sure you understand the meaning of scape goat.

 

[SirRumpole]

why Just substance abuse, why not those who are avoiding sun screen or playing risky sports?

I am not sure you understand the meaning of scape goat.

I'm not sure you understand the difference between getting obese and unhealthy by eating too much sugar/fat/carbs/salt or people engaged in beneficial physical exercise like surfing.

How many fat surfers have you seen ?

 

[SirRumpole]

So the query is still just what influence does the soft drink industry have on government policy

How much do they give in political donations ?

and whether we should consider similar tax measures to change peoples diets.

Yes, we should.

 

[Value Collector]

2) An exploration of just how quickly and how bad peoples health deteriorated when the soft drink industry gets a clear run at the market place.
.

So the Coca cola company has been selling coke for 130 years, and its been a dominant drink in a lot of markets since the 1940's.

If there has been a spike in health problems in the last 20years, I find it hard to believe that its all to do with coke.

I think its the sedentary lifestyle that society has taken up, The real problem is lack of physical activity in my opinion.

A couple of cans a coke a day is not going to harm anyone unless you add a lot of other calories from other sources and reduce exercise to nil.

 

[Value Collector]

.

How many fat surfers have you seen ?

yeah, but you want to tax their coke too.

And anyway, treating a surfer of skin cancer or horse riders broken neck can be more expensive than treating diabetes's.

beneficial physical exercise like surfing, How many fat surfers have you seen

That's my point though, A tradie who is up laying bricks from 6 in morning till 3 in the afternoon, and then ends the day with 2 hours surfing probably eats more calories than an obese person, so its the life style of inactivity that's the problem.

 

[luutzu]

I posted the story and opened the thread to explore a few issues

1) How the beverage industry worked in Mexico to ensure no significant intervention in their right to sell as much soft drink as the market could bear regardless of consequences on peoples health

2) An exploration of just how quickly and how bad peoples health deteriorated when the soft drink industry gets a clear run at the market place.

3) And finally how a simple direct tax on soft drinks does have an immediate impact on consumption and hopefully peoples health.

Australia isn't as controlled by Coke and co as Mexico. Obesity is bad but not quite up there. So the query is still just what influence does the soft drink industry have on government policy and whether we should consider similar tax measures to change peoples diets.

Direct tax on the fizzies would help reduce its consumption, but I don't think the obesity issue is just from them alone.

Heard a while back a lot of Americans are a lot fatter because there's corn in practically all the processed or non-organic food. Pink slime mixed with corn extract in meat as fillers etc.

Comes down to convenience and price.

 

[Value Collector]

Direct tax on the fizzies would help reduce its consumption, but I don't think the obesity issue is just from them alone.

.

Neither do I, especially if they just switch to some other drink and don't change their total calorie in take or their exercise habits.

Not to mention a lot of over weight people have other health issues, eg depression etc that is the real cause behind them choosing to sit inside on the couch all day and use food as release.

 

[Value Collector]

Heard a while back a lot of Americans are a lot fatter because there's corn in practically all the processed or non-organic food. Pink slime mixed with corn extract in meat as fillers etc.

Comes down to convenience and price.

Here is an interesting look at corn in the food industry.

 

[SirRumpole]

Here is an interesting look at corn in the food industry.

Why are you now switching to the US ?

This is about Australia. I smell a strawman argument.

 

[Value Collector]

Why are you now switching to the US ?

This is about Australia. I smell a strawman argument.

I linked that out of interest, however the same is true here.

Go to your cupboard and see how many products you can find that don't have a corn (or wheat) product in it such as maize thickener, Dextrose, Maltodextrin etc. I just had a look and I couldn't find one, all the breakfast cereals, milo, baked beans, spaghetti, canned soups, pasta sauce, all of the sauces and toppings in the fridge, muesli bar, even my tip top bread has Maize starch.

I am not even saying its bad, it's just an interesting point to note.

It's easy to over eat if you are sedentary, even just being sedentary causes health problems even if the calories are in balance, That's what we need to focus on.

 

[basilio]

It would be simplistic to blame excessive drinking of soft drinks (or other suger filled drinks) as the sole cause of the obesity epidemic.

Lack of exercise Yes. Corn fructose as a basis for many foods Yes. Food servings getting bigger every year Yes.

My point is that all of these are significant contributors. Dealing with all of them directly would a good solution.

And expecting the relevant industries to play their part by reining in marketing, sales and profits.... Start up your flying pigs folks..

 

[SirRumpole]

I linked that out of interest, however the same is true here.

Go to your cupboard and see how many products you can find that don't have a corn product in it such as maize thickener, Dextrose, Maltodextrin etc. I just had a look and I couldn't find one.
.

If you are suggesting putting a tax on corn supplements as well, then good for you.

The point is that our health budget is being strained by over consumption of unhealthy products and we should be aiming to reduce this. The simplest way of doing so is to send a price signal to both manufacturers and consumers and allow them to modify their procedures accordingly.

 

[Value Collector]

If you are suggesting putting a tax on corn supplements as well, then good for you.

The point is that our health budget is being strained by over consumption of unhealthy products and we should be aiming to reduce this. The simplest way of doing so is to send a price signal to both manufacturers and consumers and allow them to modify their procedures accordingly.

No, I think its sedentary lifestyle, as I said, sedentary life style by itself even without a calorie imbalance causes health problems. the only solution is to get people moving.