Watch: Sugar taxes – the case in favour: “Enormous evidence of success”

Dan Hunt made the case in favour of taxation on sugar sweetened beverages in a head-to-head debate with Australian Beverages Council CEO Geoff Parker at our recent Healthy Ageing APAC Summit in Singapore.

We caught up with Hunt after he stepped off stage to get his key takeaways on camera.

Hunt claims there is a wealth of scientific evidence linking sugar sweetened beverage intake with poor health outcomes and the risk of obesity.

He also argues that there is a compelling case to state that taxation works, both to reduce sugar intake, and help fund public health initiatives.

“The obesity question is simple, its calories in versus calories out. One of the biggest drivers in developed countries is calorific intake, not calories out. So tackling energy dense and nutrition poor products such as sugar sweetened beverages is crucial,”​ he argues.

Take a look at the video for more, and see Parker's case against sugar taxation here​.