BADT calls for UK to follow Mexico’s lead on sugary drinks tax

The British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) has urged the UK government to follow the lead set by Mexico and introduce a new tax on sugary drinks.

Its call comes in response to a new report published in the British Medical Journal showing how a ten percent tax on sugar-sweetened drinks in Mexico has reduced sales of these beverages by 12 percent one year after implementation.

Meanwhile, sales of the healthier drinks that have remained untaxed have increased by four percent over the same time period, indicating that this kind of intervention can be effective.

Fiona Sandom, president of the BADT, said: "It is now imperative that the UK government looks at the findings of this significant research and considers the evidence before it."

A separate report from The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology indicates that reducing free sugar content in sugar-sweetened drinks in the UK by 40 percent over five years without replacing them with non-nutritive sweeteners could prevent around 300,000 cases of type 2 diabetes over two decades.