Sugar Tax is proving a huge success even before its implementation – Noone

In advance of the implementation of the Sugar Tax, it is already having an impact on how soft drinks companies are selling their products, Dublin Senator, Catherine Noone has said.

Senator Noone said: “In a bid to avoid the sugar tax on sugar sweetened drinks – soft drink companies have already re-formulated their beverages to contain less sugar whilst managing to retain their signature taste. Consumers in Ireland will be able to enjoy healthier soft drinks, without being affected by the tax.

“If such drinks companies can do this – other food producers whose products contain a substantial amount of sugar can also change their recipes.

“According the World Health Organisation, Ireland is on course to be become the fattest nation in the OECD by 2030. To effectively tackle this alarming prediction, we need a suite of measures to tackle this epidemic, one of which is an extended sugar tax.

“As such, I am calling for the sugar tax to be extended to all food products containing high levels of sugar. As with the soft drinks industry, this would no doubt also encourage food producers to reduce the amount of added sugar to their produce – ensuring a healthier product for the consumer with minimal price increase,” the Fine Gael Senator said.