(Barbados has doubled the excise tax on sugary drinks to 20% to tackle the growing burden of diseases, including cancer, in the Caribbean country. Maggie Wetzel explores what spurred Barbados into action, why fiscal measures are important and what other countries can learn.)
THE PRIME MINISTER of Barbados, Mia Mottley, has always championed action on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are a major concern in the Small Island Development States (SIDSs) of the Caribbean, where half of the countries import in excess of 80% of what they consume and imported foods are predominantly ultra-processed high in sugars, fats and sodium (pdf).
In the Caribbean region, the prevalence of child overweight and obesity has increased substantially in the past 4 decades, from an average of less than 5% in 1980 to approximately 30% (pdf) in 2016. SIDSs comprise 12 of the 24 small islands with the highest prevalence of childhood obesity.
Barbados introduced its SSB tax in 2015 – when just 10 countries worldwide had implemented such a policy. It targeted locally produced and imported sugary carbonated soft drinks, juice drinks, sports drinks, syrups and others. 100% natural fruit juice, coconut water, plain milk and evaporated milk, as well as powdered drinks and non-sugar sweeteners, were exempt.
An evaluation of the tax a year after implementation found a decrease in sales of SSBs and an increase in sales of bottled water. Of concern, however, researchers also found that some consumers may have responded to the tax by purchasing cheaper sugary drinks, raising questions about the design of the tax.
Around the same time, the WHO published guidance recommending countries place taxes on SSBs of no less than 20%. In response to this and the ongoing national NCD crisis, the government of Barbados signalled plans to increase the tax – however, the rate remained at 10% until now. See the complete World Cancer Research analysis at https://www.wcrf.org/good-health-doesnt-need-to-be-taxing/
