Could A Tax On Sugary Drinks Really Help Save Lives?
Posted on December 16, 2016 | WFYI by Taylor Bennett
Harvard researchers say taxing sugary drinks could reduce rates of diabetes, avert vast sums in health costs and raise $41 million for community needs.
They projected the results of a 1-cent-per-ounce excise tax in 15 major cities, including Indianapolis.
“This would have effects on health care costs. Individuals with obesity have much higher health care costs. We estimate over the next decade the city of Indianapolis would be saving about 43 million dollars in health care costs because of this,” says lead researcher Steve Gortmaker.
The billion-dollar reason more cities might stand up to Coke and Pepsi
Posted on December 14, 2016 | Business Insider by Kate Taylor
A 1-cent-per-ounce soda tax could raise almost $1 billion in revenue every year if more cities implement taxes on sugary drinks, according to a new study.
On Wednesday, Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health released a study analyzing what would happen if the 15 largest US cities with the ability to pass a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks did so.
Researchers found the new laws would result in a nearly 20% drop in soda consumption in cities including Los Angeles, Detroit, and Denver. The study, which used computer modeling to project the impact of the proposed taxes, predicted that cities could generate a cumulative $942 million per year in revenue from the taxes.
A Billion Ways To Convince More Cities To Pass A Soda Tax
Posted on December 14, 2016 | Forbes by Nancy Fink Huehnergarth
If soda taxes were implemented in a total of 21 major U.S. cities, thousands of lives and over $1.2 billion in health care costs would be saved over 10 years, according to computer simulations created by Harvard.
In addition, nearly $1 billion in revenue would be collected each year, helping to balance local budgets and funding important community health and wellness initiatives.
The simulations, which were prepared by researchers for Harvard's CHOICES project, projected the impact of a penny-per-ounce sugary drink tax in these 15 cities where one has yet to pass: Baltimore, Charlotte, Columbus, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose and Seattle. The results for each of these cities, which do have the legal authority to implement a soda tax, can be found here.
Harvard study says soda tax would have health benefit if implemented in Baltimore
Posted on December 14, 2016 | The Baltimore Sun by Andrea McDaniels
A tax on soda and other sugary drinks in Baltimore could help reduce diabetes and obesity in the city, while generating $25.6 million for health programs, researchers at Harvard's school of public health reported Wednesday.
The researchers, who looked at the impact of an excise tax on sugary beverages on 15 major cities, said all would see significant health and economic benefits.
The study was commissioned by Healthy Food America, an advocacy group that promotes such taxes.
"We are hoping that by showing the potential significance of this, more people will consider a tax in their communities," said Jim Krieger, executive director of Healthy Food America.
Las Vegas could gain $25.2M in revenue from soda tax, report says
Posted on December 14, 2016 | Las Vegas Review Journal by Pashtana Usufzy
The city of Las Vegas could reap major benefits from a tax on sugary beverages, including about $25.2 million in annual revenue, according to a report published Wednesday.
The report by Harvard public health researchers and Healthy Food America, a nonprofit group that advocates against added sugars in foods, used computer modeling to project the impact of a tax of 1 cent per ounce on sugary soft drinks in 15 major cities with the ability to implement such taxes.
Study: Soda tax would be good for OKC
Posted on December 14, 2016 | The Journal Record by Sarah Terry-Cobo
A single policy change in Oklahoma City could save tens of millions of dollars in health care costs, according to Harvard research.
Dr. Marion Nestle, Food Policy Wonk Extraordinaire, on Soda Taxes, Eating Local, and Eating What You Like
Posted on December 9, 2016 | The Stranger by Tobias Coughlin-Bogue
I was recently invited to a breakfast featuring Dr. Marion Nestle, one of the nation’s leading experts on nutrition and author of Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning). She was in Seattle on her way to Barrow, Alaska to give a talk on type 2 diabetes in Native American populations, and was stopping to visit her fellow soda tax proponents at Healthy Food America (HFA), which is headquartered in Seattle. Kind of ironic, in light of how poorly such taxes have done here, but they do have a lot to celebrate elsewhere. San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Boulder, and Chicago’s Cook County all passed HFA-backed soda taxes in the last election cycle.
The Insanity Of Fighting Childhood Cancer By Selling Slurpees
Posted on December 2, 2016 | Forbes by Nancy Fink Huehnergarth
7-Eleven is running a doozy of a fundraising campaign for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to benefit children suffering from cancer and other deadly diseases. Through January 3, 2017, 7-Eleven will donate 11 cents from each large Slurpee drink sold in the U.S., up to $200,000.
If you’re appalled and confused by selling sugary drinks containing 570 calories and 134 grams (nearly 34 teaspoons) of sugar to raise money for childhood cancer, you’re not alone.
“No one can argue with raising money for kids with cancer, but it would be far better for all children’s health for 7-Eleven to simply donate the $200,000, rather than raise it by encouraging kids to consume more sugar,” said David Goldberg, Vice President, Communications and External Relations at Healthy Food America. “After all, excess sugar is strongly linked to diseases with their own power to harm kids and cut lives short.”
Billionaires put pop in advocates' push for soda taxes
Posted on November 14, 2016 | Associated Press by Candice Choi
After years of stamping out soda tax proposals with well-financed campaigns, Big Soda is suddenly finding itself up against bigger adversaries.
Voters and lawmakers in five municipalities such as San Francisco and the county that includes Chicago approved special taxes on sugary drinks last week, with advocates saying the victories point to a change in public attitudes and the beginnings of a movement. What's also changed, though, is that they're now backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who as mayor of New York lost a bruising fight to limit the size of sugary drinks.
Los triunfos que sí lograron las ciudades en esta elección
Posted on November 11, 2016 | Univision by David Dudley
Estados Unidos es un país complicado, como esta última votación nos lo recordó. A nivel estatal y a nivel de ciudad—en los estados republicanos, demócratas e indecisos— los votantes en las elecciones de 2016 utilizaron las palancas de la democracia directa para adoptar leyes más rigurosas sobre las armas de fuego, leyes menos estrictas sobre la marihuana, y una gran cantidad de propuestas de leyes destinadas a proporcionar viviendas más asequibles.