Nutritionists are sounding the alarm: we eat record amounts of sugar. In 2017 alone, a statistical Pole consumed 44,5 kg of this substance. This is the most in 28 years. One way to “force” consumers to cut down on unhealthy eating is by taxing harmful ingredients, such as sugar. The sugar tax applies, inter alia, to in Great Britain and the Scandinavian countries. Will it also be introduced in Poland? The Ministry of Finance admits that it “looks” at such solutions.
Taxation based on harmful ingredients such as sugar, fat or salt is the most popular way of today to persuade consumers to choose healthier foods. This solution is successfully used by Hungary, Germany, France, Scandinavian countries, Great Britain and Ireland. A special tax covers various product groups. In England, for example, the focus was on drinks, in Denmark it was also applied to ice cream, chocolate and sweets. The amount of tax depends on the amount of sugar used – the less there is, the lower the special excise duty rate.
What does the sugar tax issue look like in Poland? According to Dziennik.pl, the ministries of finance and health declare that they conduct analyzes of the functioning of these solutions, but are not working on anything specific. The ministry is not carrying out any legislative work that would apply to the taxation of selected groups of food products – says Krzysztof Jakubiak, press spokesman for the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Finance echoes him: These types of activities are already used in other countries, where they support the promotion of rational nutrition and promote health policy. These are various types of tax solutions, the functioning of which is also monitored by the Ministry of Finance.
Supporters of the introduction of a sugar tax in Poland emphasize that it is an effective solution. Producers point out that transferring the tax to prices will result in a decrease in consumption and, consequently, in the search for cheaper sugar substitutes. According to Marcin Zawadzki from the PwC consulting company, there is another much better solution – a kind of social contract in which nutrition experts, producers and government representatives will jointly set limits on the use of unhealthy ingredients in food. Belgium has applied a similar solution.
The World Health Organization recommends that the amount of sugar in the diet should be a maximum of 10 percent. daily energy demand, i.e. approx. 10 teaspoons. Meanwhile, sugar can be found in most of the food on the market, even in bread or mayonnaise. Just a single candy contains a teaspoon of sugar.
Excess sugar in the diet is not only dangerous because it leads to the obesity epidemic. In fact, sugar destroys the entire body: it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and hypertension, diabetes, negatively affects the intestines, lowers immunity, leads to mood disorders, accelerates aging, negatively affects memory, is addictive.
Comp. on the basis of Gospodarka.dziennik.pl