Alison Watkins, the group managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil, has argued against a sugar tax, emphasising that despite a fall in the consumption of added sugars since 1995, obesity rates have continued to rise.
Ms Watkins's claim is spin. Yes, the consumption of added sugar, particularly of carbonated drinks, has fallen since the mid-1990s. Meanwhile, obesity rates have indeed continued to rise. But this is not the full story. In attempting to put the case against a sugar tax, Ms Watkins paints an incomplete picture of the link between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity, ignoring the weight of scientific evidence. Authoritative research shows a consistent association between a high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity. Indeed, research shows that adolescent boys, who are the biggest consumers of sugar-sweetened drinks, also have the fastest rates of weight gain. Ms Watkins refers to the fact that just 2 per cent of the average Australian's kilojoule intake comes from soft drinks. But "soft drinks" refers only to carbonated drinks, not the full gamut of available sugar-sweetened beverages, including sports drinks, iced teas and fruit juices. This was because overall averages could mask increased consumption of sugary drinks among a particular group, which could be underpinning a rise in obesity. In her article, Ms Watkins also refers to an Australian Bureau of Statistics analysis showing a relative decrease in the consumption of added sugars in people's diets between 1995 and 2011-12, but she does not mention significant caveats the ABS attached to its analysis. Also, she does not mention that Australia's consumption of sugary drinks per capita exceeds the World Health Organisation's recommended energy intake from sugars.
Fact check: Is sugar consumption down while obesity rates have risen?
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