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Junk food and sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: Likely to produce numerous benefits in NZ

Monday, April 11th, 2022 | carra86p | No Comments

Dr Leah Grout, Dr Nhung Nghiem, Dr Christine Cleghorn*

Grout L, Nghiem N, Cleghorn C. Junk food and sugar-sweetened beverage taxes: Likely to produce numerous benefits in NZ. Public Health Expert Blog. 11 April 2022. https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/pubhealthexpert/junk-food-and-sugar-sweetened-beverage-taxes-likely-to-produce-numerous-benefits-in-nz/

Poor diet is a major risk factor for excess weight gain and obesity-related diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, and multiple cancers. In this blog we summarise our recent modelling work that suggests that the implementation of taxes on unhealthy foods and beverages in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) will lead to health gains, health system cost-savings, and reductions in health inequalities.

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And now the Brits are doing it: A sugary drink tax levy on the industry

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018 | dayhi34p | 1 Comment

Prof Tony Blakely, Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Anja Mizdrak, Dr Cristina Cleghorn

From 1 April 2018, the UK is putting in place a type of sugary drinks tax – actually a “soft drinks industry levy”. This blog reviews how they are doing it, early signs of its success, and ponders its relevance for NZ.  We also take this opportunity to point out some problems with a recent NZIER Report on sugary drink taxes.

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Progress toward Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 – how might tobacco retail restrictions contribute?

Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 | Kate Sloane | No Comments

Dr Amber Pearson, Frederieke Sanne van der Deen, Dr Cristina Cleghorn, Dr Nhung Nghiem, Prof Tony Blakely, Prof Nick Wilson

Tobacco outlets blogWe have just published research on the health gains and cost-savings from various legally mandated restrictions on tobacco retail outlets. In this blog, we briefly consider the results and put the findings in a wider context of how New Zealand might reach its Smokefree 2025 goal.

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The UK Government Shows Leadership with a Soft Drink Tax Announcement

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016 | Kate Sloane | 3 Comments

Dr Wilma Waterlander, Prof Nick Wilson, Prof Cliona Ni Mhurchu, Dr Cristina Cleghorn, Dr Andrea McDonald, Dr Helen Eyles, Prof Tony Blakely

Sugar levy announcedA Conservative UK Government has announced a new soft drink tax with revenue recycling towards school-based physical activity programmes. In this blog we briefly look at the UK initiative and assess its possible utility for changing New Zealand’s obesogenic environment.

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Tax Reform Pros & Cons: A Brief Look from a Public Health Perspective

Tuesday, February 9th, 2016 | Kate Sloane | No Comments

Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Caroline Shaw, Dr Nhung Nghiem, Prof Tony Blakely, A/Prof Ralph Chapman

Tax policies have major impacts on society and designing such policies is complex. But if death and disease, tobacco taxthe perspective is around gaining health and saving costs for the public health system, then certain tax reforms may be favoured more than others. In this blog we take a brief look at what potential there is for revising the NZ tax system from a public health perspective.

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