Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) are defined as: non-alcoholic beverages containing added caloric sweeteners, such as sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, or fruit juice concentrates. This includes carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, concentrates or syrups, less than 100% fruit or vegetable juices such as juice drinks or nectars, ready to-drink teas and coffees, sweetened waters, and sweetened milk-based drinks.
SSB are a key contributor to excess sugar and dietary energy intakes in countries around the world (Pereira et al 2015; Sánchez-Pimienta et al 2016; Marriot et al 2019), yet provide little-to-no nutritional value. Their consumption is strongly linked to a range of adverse health effects including tooth decay, excess weight gain, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes An estimated 184,000 deaths and 8.5 million disability-adjusted life years worldwide were attributed to SSB consumption in 2010 (Singh et al. 2015).
Taxes on SSB are an increasingly popular fiscal policy for health. This brief summarizes the latest evidence on SSB tax implementation and effectiveness to support governments who are considering, or are in the process of developing, an SSB tax. Further details and references can be found in the accompanying report (World Bank 2020).
Photo Credt: Mikhail Nilov
