A major chunk of residents in California are supporting soda tax and anti-junk food ads to fight obesity in the state.
According to a Reuters report, Paul Simon, the Director of the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LAC DPH), says that around 66 percent of people who were surveyed by the county in 2011 revealed that they were pro soda tax. Around 75 percent of the people surveyed were in support of limiting advertising related to junk food.
Health advocates have long debated that over-consumption of soda, sugary drinks and junk food leads to obesity. However, lawmakers and the beverage industry have argued that imposing extra tax on soda may cost the poor more to buy food.
"It's described as regressive, that it would discriminate against poorer people because they have less money," says Simon. "Nonetheless we found in our study that there is more support among those groups."
Simon says that he and his colleagues made a telephone survey of around 1,000 adults in Los Angeles County. The team analyzed the data and claims that people in the low income category had a higher support to impose soda tax to reduce obesity.
Many public health advocates in the U.S. have demanded ways to decrease the intake of sugary drinks as well as junk food to avoid obesity. However, the beverage industry and lawmakers have opposed taxes on these food items or bringing in regulations.
In May this year, lawmakers of Illinois overruled a system with which soda would be taxed at one percent per ounce. A similar soda tax proposal failed in California.
CalBev, a non-alcoholic beverage industry of California that represents large and small beverage producers, distributors and more, rejects that people are in support of soda tax.
"A polling question asked in a vacuum without any context often gives the impression that voters support these types of taxes, but the reality is when you put it directly to the voters they always go down in defeat," per CalBev.
California is currently the only state in the U.S. that requires a warning label on sodas and other sugary drinks. The warning label says that intake of sugary drinks can lead to obesity, diabetes or tooth decay.
Health officials in the U.S. are concerned about obesity in the country. If tax on soda and other sugary drinks is imposed, then it may cut down the chances of obesity and diabetes in people that may in turn cut down the expenses of the health agency.
