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Sugar and Sweeteners

Lawmakers defended the tax as a public health measure, but Landers and others complained that sugar is not dangerous in the same way as other “bad” products that are taxed, like tobacco and alcohol. On the contrary, sugar is sweet, tasty, and, in the right amount, it is even necessary for human life. But despite the protestations, bickering, and political jockeying, Philadelphia’s lawmakers passed a 1.5 cent per ounce tax on all sugary drinks sold in the city, effectively raising the price of a 20-ounce drink by 30 cents. Health experts hoped that the increased cost would decrease the consumption of sugary beverages. It’s a tactic that has been effective in other situations, such as convincing people to quit smoking. “If we go five years ahead and look back, I think this is going to be a watershed moment,” Jim Krieger, executive director at Healthy Food America, told The New York Times , adding, “It is a good thing to drink less sugar-sweetened beverages.” Some lawmakers hope that increasing the cost of sugary soft drinks will have public health benefits later on.

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