Objectives Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs)
is now advocated, and implemented, in many countries
as a measure to reduce the purchase and consumption
of sugar to tackle obesity. To date, there has been little
consideration of the potential impact that such a measure
could have if extended to other sweet foods, such ...
Objectives Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs)
is now advocated, and implemented, in many countries
as a measure to reduce the purchase and consumption
of sugar to tackle obesity. To date, there has been little
consideration of the potential impact that such a measure
could have if extended to other sweet foods, such as
confectionery, cakes and biscuits that contribute more
sugar to the diet than SSBs. The objective of this study is
to compare changes in the demand for sweet snacks and
SSBs arising from potential price increases.
Setting Secondary data on household itemised purchases
of all foods and beverages from 2012 to 2013.
Participants Representative sample of 32249 households in
Great Britain.
Primary and secondary outcome measures Change in
food and beverage purchases due to changes in their own
price and the price of other foods or beverages measured
as price elasticity of demand for the full sample and by
income groups.
Results Chocolate and confectionery, cakes and biscuits
have similar price sensitivity as SSBs, across all income
groups. Unlike the case of SSBs, price increases in these
categories are also likely to prompt reductions in the purchase
of other sweet snacks and SSBs, which magnify the overall
impact. The effects of price increases are greatest in the lowincome group.
Conclusions Policies that lead to increases in the price of
chocolate and confectionery, cakes and biscuits may lead to
additional and greater health gains than similar increases in
the price of SSBs through direct reductions in the purchases
of these foods and possible positive multiplier effects that
reduce demand for other products. Although some uncertainty
remains, the associations found in this analysis are sufficiently
robust to suggest that policies—and research—concerning
the use of fiscal measures should consider a broader range of
products than is currently the case.
