Experts call for expansion of UK soft drink levy to reduce sugar intake

03 Jun 2024 --- Based on the success of the UK’s soft drinks industry levy, researchers recommend applying a mandatory sugar levy to a broader range of products contributing to sugar intake. The experts suggest increasing the levy and reducing the sugar content threshold to improve its effectiveness.

Published in the WHO Bulletin, the author’s review of the UK’s sugar reduction policies reveals that the mandatory levy reduced total sugar sales by 34.3% from 2015 to 2020. At the same time, the sugar reductions were moderated by a 21.3% increase in soft drink sales in the same period. 

Meanwhile, the country’s voluntary reduction programs achieved a 3.5% sugar reduction of critical contributors to sugar intake — despite a 20% reduction target. 

Excessive sugar consumption is associated with various health risks, such as tooth decay, weight gain, noncommunicable diseases, diabetes and certain cancer types. To overcome these health issues, the WHO recommends reducing sugar intake to 5% of energy intake through fiscal policies and F&B reformulation strategies. 

“Given the proven success of the soft drinks industry levy at incentivizing reformulation, we, therefore, recommend that policymakers consider applying a similar levy to other discretionary products that are key contributors to sugar intake,” reveals the report. 

“Ultimately, we recommend a comprehensive program of complementary policies to reduce sugar intake, incorporating those measures recommended by WHO such as updating food and nutrition labeling legislation to help consumers better understand the amount of free sugars in products and restrictions on advertising of high-sugar products, currently being delayed in the UK as a result of industry pressure.” 

Expanding mandatory levy success 
The UK’s soft drinks industry levy is a fiscal measure imposed on the production of soft drinks with added sugars. It adds a levy of £0.18 (US$0.23) per liter to drinks with a total sugar content of 5-8 g/100 mL and £0.24 (US$0.31) per liter for drinks with a higher sugar content.

With the levy’s tiered structure, companies were incentivized to reformulate their soft drinks. This resulted in a 34.3% reduction in total sugar sales in soft drinks, from 135,391 tons in 2015 to 89,019 tons in 2020. Moreover, the sales-weighted average sugar content of soft drinks subject to the levy also decreased by 44.7%, from 3.8 g/100 ML to 2.1 g/100 mL in 2020. 

The researchers recommend that policymakers consider applying a levy to other products contributing to sugar intake.Earlier research also suggests that the levy may have prevented 5,000 cases of obesity in girls aged 10–11, and it was linked to improved dental health in kids. 

At the same time, campaigners flagged weaknesses in research on the levy’s links to preventing obesity in girls, instead urging the F&B industry to move faster to reformulate products high in fat, salt and sugar. 

The study was conducted by researchers at the Queen Mary University of London, UK, and includes Graham MacGregor, who is the chair of Blood Pressure UK and Consensus Action on Salt, Sugar and Health. 

The study’s authors, who published their findings in the WHO Bulletin, also recommend increasing the levy so that companies pay more to maintain formulations. They also suggest reducing the sugar thresholds to encourage further reformulation and include milk-based and juice-based drinks, which are now excluded from the levy. They also recommend considering alcoholic drinks, which are now excluded from the levy, as ready-to-drink beverages contain an average of 20 g of sugar. 

In addition, they recommend updating nutrition labeling to include the amount of non-sugar sweeteners. The authors note that these additives are likely increasingly used to reduce sugar content. However, in an ongoing debate on sweetener safety and health effects, the WHO has advised against using non-sugar sweeteners for long-term weight management or chronic disease prevention. 

Voluntary changes 
Public Health England developed the UK’s voluntary sugar reduction program. It targeted companies to reduce their total sugar sales through reformulation, reducing portion sizes and shifting sales to lower-sugar options. 

Except for soft drinks, the program targeted all high-sugar categories, such as breakfast cereals; yogurts; biscuits; cakes; morning goods; desserts and dessert toppings/sauces; ice cream, lollies and sorbets; chocolate and sweet confectionery; sweet spreads and sauces; chocolate spread; peanut butter; and fruit spreads. The program also covers beverages exempt from the soft drinks levy. 

The UK’s voluntary sugar reduction program resulted in a 3.5% sugar sales reduction in five years, against a 20% aim.The program aimed to reduce sugar by at least 20% in 2020, including a 5% reduction in its first year by the food and drinks industry across a range of products that contribute most to children’s sugar intake. 

Instead, the researchers reveal that the program only resulted in a 3.5% sugar sales reduction from 2015 to 2020. 

Earlier this year, research by Bite Back found that “the majority of global food manufacturers are reliant on selling unhealthy products in the UK,” finding limited formulation changes from the voluntary program. Meanwhile, leading F&B brands disputed their reliance on unhealthy product sales. 

To improve the voluntary program’s performance, the researchers recommend dividing existing product categories into more specific targets and making these mandatory. 

They further call for stricter guidelines for baby and toddler foods, seeing excessively sugary products for babies and toddlers — an earlier review found that 37% of sweet snacks include over 22.5 g of total sugars per 100 g. 

Moreover, they suggest trialing a levy in soft drinks levy style on a poorly performing food category, such as chocolate confectionery. Lastly, they call for the nutrition labeling to be updated to include “free sugars” over “total sugars.” 

By Jolanda van Hal