2024-09-30 22:06:24
- It has been introduced in 50 countries, and the WHO wants Bulgaria to limit its intake by 10%, announced the head of their union
- The government proposed taxing junk food in our country 9 years ago, but business and unions jumped on the bandwagon
A tax on sugar and sugar products similar to the tax on tobacco can limit their overuse and improve the health of Bulgarians. This was insisted by the chairman of the Bulgarian Dental Union, Dr. Nikolay Sharkov, who is also the president of the World Dental Federation. In a different form, there is a “sugar” tax in 50 countries – Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Portugal and Poland, Dr. Sharkov gave an example to BNR.
According to him, the increased use of sugar and sweeteners not only in the food industry, but also in the pharmaceutical industry is worrying. Taking it leads to a number of diseases, especially in the oral cavity and teeth.
In a report of the World Health Organization from 2022, recommendations are given that must be implemented by 2030. “This report will not collect dust, it clearly outlines specific measures and deadlines for implementation. One of them is that Bulgaria should do everything possible to limit the daily intake of sugar by 10%”, declared Dr. Sharkov.
According to data from the dental union the Bulgarian eats 42 kg of sugar per year.
The WHO recommends a maximum daily dose of 25. Even 10 years ago, the world organization recommended that countries introduce a 20% tax on drinks with added sugar. The same report called for subsidizing fresh fruit and vegetables by 10-30% and increasing the tax on foods with excessive salt, trans fat and sugar.
According to a joint study by Munich and Liverpool universities this year, if a “sugar” tax is introduced in Germany on soft drinks, in 20 years they could be
saved up to 16 billion euros
health costs and to prevent a variety of diseases, announced the German public-law television NDR.
In Great Britain, they report that over 47,000 tons of sugar have been removed from soft drinks alone, after introducing a two-tier system for additional taxation on them in 2018. Manufacturers pay the Exchequer 18p for every 5g of sugar in 100ml of drink, and 24p for larger amounts. Therefore, some have found healthier recipes.
In 2015, the second “Borisov” cabinet, and more precisely the Minister of Health Petar Moskov, was preparing a project to introduce a “harmful food” tax together with the Sports Ministry, headed by Krasen Kralev. This received the support of Prime Minister Borissov.
The idea was for a tax between 3 and 10%, which covers 4 groups of foods: products with industrially obtained trans fatty acids as a result of the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils; energy drinks; soft drinks; products with a high salt and sugar content.
A ban on advertising was even being prepared
of harmful foods on children’s channels and in programs for the youngest.
The idea met with a sharp reaction from the business. Manufacturers asked who would say which foods were harmful. The consequences would be a drop in sales and the growth of the gray sector. Business has accused the government of breaking its promise not to change the tax system.
Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov took their side: “The decision on the “unhealthy food” tax is unlikely to pass the parliament, because there are many arguments against it. I have reservations about this bill because it will hardly achieve its goals, which are otherwise good.” And he warned that such a tax could increase smuggling.
Moskov wanted the collected money to go to prevention, quality nutrition for children and repair of sports grounds. He gave the example of Hungary, where the consumption of foods with harmful ingredients fell by 27%. But the Podkrepa trade union countered with the example of Denmark, which abolished taxation as inexpedient. In the end, the initiative was forgotten.