Resource Pack for StudentsGlobal Citizenship Mini Challenge KS4Sugary drinks debate

The National Assembly for Wales is made up of 60 Assembly Members from across Wales. They are elected by the people of Wales to represent them and their communities, make laws for Wales, agree Welsh taxes and to make sure the Welsh Government is doing its job properly.

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Resource Pack for Students

Global Citizenship Mini Challenge KS4

Sugary drinks debate

Sugar, mainly due to the high fructose content, is being implicated as a leading cause of obesity,

cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

The main sources of sugar in the diet are sweetened drinks, cereal, confectionery and fruit juice.

Politicians, industry and individuals are now discussing solutions to curb this pressure on health

services across the world.

In this challenge you will:

Develop a detailed understanding of the global issue of sugar consumption, especially in Wales and

the UK.

Analyse a range of sources to research the issue and understand different viewpoints.

Analyse issues using PESTLE.

Evaluate different solutions using the SWOT method.

Develop and communicate your own personal standpoint.

Reflect on the critical thinking and problem solving process.

Activity description:

01. Understanding nutrition: Looking at diets across the world.

02. Is sugar damaging our health? PESTLE analysis.

03. Facts and opinions about sugar.

04. The sugar tax debate in Wales and the UK: for and against.

05. SWOT analysis of potential solutions.

06. Personal standpoint.

07. Raising awareness.

08. Reflection using PESTLE analysis.

Activity 1: Understanding nutrition

Source 1: Quotes from organisations

“Nutrition is the intake of food, considered in relation to the body’s dietary needs.

Good nutrition – an adequate, well balanced diet combined with regular physical

activity – is a cornerstone of good health. Poor nutrition can lead to reduced

immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental

development, and reduced productivity.”

World Health Organisation

“Nutrition is the sum total of the processes involved in the taking in and the

utilisation of food substances by which growth, repair and maintenance of the

body are accomplished. It involves ingestion, digestion, absorption and

assimilation. Nutrients are stored by the body in various forms and drawn upon

when the food intake is not sufficient.”

Healthguidance.org

“The process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth”

Oxford Dictionary

Source 2: Figures from Buzzfeed video ‘Daily diets vary

around the world’

Ranking Country Amount per capita/day

1 Brazil 152g

2 Russia 108g

3 Mexico 104g

4 European Union 100g

5 Egypt 94g

6 USA 90g

7 Pakistan 62g

8 Indonesia 62g

9 India 58g

10 China 33g

Is this suprising?

Why do you think Brazil has the highest intake of sugar?

Can any links be made between high sugar intake and different cultures/societies?

Source 3: Facts about sugar

Nutrition experts say no more than 5% of daily calories should come from added sugar—about 7

teaspoons.

Most people consume about twice this limit.

A single can of fizzy drink contains 9 teaspoons with up to 40 teaspoons in a two litre bottle.

Too many sugar sweetened drinks are one of the causes of children becoming obese.

The latest figures show 40% of 7-11 year olds in Wales are obese or overweight.

Being overweight increases the chance of getting diabetes.

Over the course of a year, a child aged between 4 and 10 will consume around 5,500 sugar cubes—

or three and a half stone—the average weight of a five year old.

Further reading:

BBC News. ‘Scientific experts: sugar intake ‘should be halved’.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-33551501

ITV News. ‘New figures show nearly half of 7-11 year olds are 'obese'.’

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/update/2015-01-12/new-figures-show-nearly-half-of-7-

11-year-olds-are-obese/

NHS Choices. How does sugar in our diet affect our health?

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/sugars.aspx

Sugar Nutrition UK. ‘Frequently asked questions’. http://www.sugarnutrition.org.uk/facts-

myths/sugar-faqs-2/

Activity 2: Is sugar damaging our health?

Political

Economic

Social

Technological

Legal

Environmental

Activity 3: Facts and opinions about sugar

Source 4: Average sugar consumption in children, YouGov, 4

January 2016

Age group Amount (grams) Number of sugar cubes

4 to 6 19g 5

7 to 10 24g 6

11 or older 30g 7

Source 5: extracts from a letter written by Jamie Oliver to

David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 26

November 2015

With the number of overweight and obese children now at alarming levels and with medical

organisations speaking as one to demand action, it is absolutely clear that the time for dithering

about the future health of our nation is long gone. Britain urgently needs a robust, strategic and

effective policy with tough targets to measure achievement over the next 20 to 30 years, and tackling

this complex problem requires a series of societal interventions.

In order to win the war against childhood obesity the UK Government must put it at the top of their

agenda. To this end, a logical and aggressive ambush of preventative policies that align every sector

of society – business, government, industry and the general public – is essential in ensuring success

in protecting Britain's youngest and most disadvantaged children , and making sure that the

environment we foster for our communities is conducive to making healthier choices much easier

and more affordable.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Commission for Ending Childhood Obesity

(ECHO) has said: “Childhood obesity should not be seen as a result of lifestyle

choices by the child. Government and society have a moral responsibility to act on

behalf of the child to reduce the risk of obesity.”

We need to tackle childhood obesity with policies, initiatives, incentives and community-based

interventions from every angle, so that everyone is made responsible for, and works together, to

make Britain happier, healthier and more prosperous. It is paramount that a dedicated COBRA-style

childhood obesity prevention committee is set up immediately to oversee every facet of the effort

involved. It is equally important that the committee’s policies have cross-party approval, since they

will be long-term objectives that will continue regardless of any changes within government. We also

need to be clearer and braver with business and industry about what good health looks like, so that

they can no longer fall back on voluntary self-regulation.

Finally, we need to educate and empower every individual to make better, healthier lifestyle choices.

There is no single silver bullet that will do the job properly – we need a combination of important,

separate actions that together create a powerful tool for change. Some of the measures are identified

in bold below, but they are only “headlines” in the plethora of work needed in order to make

meaningful, sustainable change. For instance, the McKinsey Global Institute listed 44 separate

initiatives that it considered worth implementing in the battle against obesity. I have headlined the

initiative closest to my heart – my proposal for a levy on all soft drinks with added sugar, which could

significantly reduce their consumption through heightened awareness, as well as contributing

significant revenue for preventative strategies. This is one of the many areas for action outlined in

Public Health England’s (PHE) ‘Sugar Reduction: The evidence for action’ report, which also stresses

the need for a number of levers that are required in order to create a broad, structured programme to

reduce consumption. As the report outlines, no single one action will work alone.

When it comes to the labelling of soft drinks with added sugar, the UK should encourage all

manufacturers to clearly state the sugar content in “teaspoons” on their products, and

should lead negotiations to make this a mandatory EU initiative.

A compulsory long-term programme to reformulate all food and beverage products with

excessively high levels of sugar must be put in place.

Ultimately, penalties should be imposed on any food companies that fail to meet the

targets. A reinstated and independent Food Standards Agency (FSA) must be empowered to

administer the new deal and should be answerable to the COBRA-style committee.

The UK should be in the vanguard of European countries demanding that Brussels allows

“free sugars” to be separately identified. In addition, front-of-pack “traffic light” labelling

should be made mandatory. Restrictions on portion sizes should be legislated, where

appropriate.

A thorough review of the School Food Standards should be carried out in early 2016, taking

account of the new nutritional guidelines for sugar, and reviews should repeat on a yearly

basis. The standards should be made compulsory for all schools, including currently exempt

academies and free schools, and early years provision.

Food education in schools must remain a priority.

The introduction of a buy-one-get-a-reduction-on-another scheme for healthier food

products is one offer that retailers could potentially make, as well as allocating greater

prominence to healthy products in store and supporting the improvement of the quality,

variety and quantity of healthier foods and beverages in existing stores.

More robust digital marketing regulations must also be put in place to protect our children

around the clock.

If all the above recommendations are met, the UK will be some way nearer to achieving its goal of

reducing the level of childhood obesity by 2020. The target to which the government is working was

spelt out in 2007. It declared that “our ambition is to be the first major nation to reverse the rising tide

of obesity and overweight in the population by ensuring that everyone is able to achieve and maintain

a healthy weight. Our initial focus will be on children: by 2020, we aim to reduce the proportion of

overweight and obese children to 2000 levels”

That was a big ask in 2007, and it’s even more of a big ask today, with levels of overweight and obese

children soaring. Nevertheless, for the sake of our future generations, we absolutely have to take

action and work to achieve this goal.

Source 6: The TaxPayers Alliance Sugar Tax Briefing, 13

January 2016

Summary:

Last year, the Prime Minister and Health Secretary both ruled out imposing a “sugar tax” on drinks and

foods with high sugar contents. The rationale behind their opposition to the use of a blunt fiscal

instrument to tackle obesity remains as sound today as it was 12 months ago: A “sugar tax” would be

regressive and ineffective. Besides, clear progress in reducing the sugar content of foods has been

already made through working with food and drinks companies through voluntary schemes.

Nevertheless, public health campaigners have remained persistent in their calls for a “sugar tax”.

Given the enormous administrative and legal complexities that imposing a “sugar tax” on foods would

create, proposals from organisations like the BMA are currently limited to a levy on “sugar-sweetened

beverages” which would increase their price by at least 20 per cent. (British Medical Association,

2015) They claim that such a levy would be a “useful first step” betrays a worrying trend amongst

many commentators and campaigners to reach for tax as a first resort. All too often they fail to

appreciate the complex behavioural responses that tax changes can elicit and the unintended

consequences that may result from their proposals.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance will strongly oppose any move to impose a sugar tax and hopes that

politicians will consider the extensive body of evidence demonstrating that a “sugar tax” is both

unnecessary and undesirable.

Conclusions:

Statistics from the Heath and Social Care Information Centre show the percentage of children

classified as overweight or obese was lower in 2014 than when it peaked a decade ago (Health Survey

for England, 2014, 2015). Jeremy Hunt has cited this as a reason why he opposes a sugar tax

(Telegraph.co.uk, 2014, accessed 07/01/2016).

Public health information campaigns have been successful in promoting awareness of particular

health problems (Health Development Agency, 2004) and are immeasurably preferable to heavy-

handed fiscal and regulatory measures, and the unintended consequences that inevitably arise. It is in

fact the conclusion of the Public Health England report that price increases on high sugar products

are less effective than non-fiscal measures to reduce sugar consumption suffered the most from the

2010 increase in VAT, a tax the government already levies on unhealthy foods.

Given the lack of robust evidence that a “sugar tax” would be beneficial to the very people it

supposedly helps both financially and nutritionally, any proposals to impose such a levy should be

resisted by the government. A sugar tax would be highly regressive and given the evidence against its

effectiveness, it could seem like an attempt to collect more money from low income households. This

is the very same income group which has suffered the most from the 2010 increase in VAT, a tax the

government already levies on unhealthy foods.

Source 7: National Diet and Nutrition Survey (rolling

programme) 2008-2012

36.1

60.8

74.2

58.8

51.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1.5-3 years 4-10 years 11-18 years 19-64 years 65+ years

Daily Sugar intake by age group (g)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

1.5-3 years 4-10 years 11-18 years 19-64 years 65+ years

Daily Sugar Intake by food sources (%)

Soft Drinks Cereals, cakes, biscuits Sugar, sweets, jams Milk products Alcohol Other

Source 8: The Telegraph, 20 January 2016, Laura Donnelly,

Health Editor

Sugar tax in Mexico cuts sales of sugary drinks by 12 per cent.

Research published in the British Medical Journal finds that the introduction of a 10 per cent tax on

sugar-sweetened drinks resulted in a 12 per cent reduction in sales. Meanwhile, there was a four per

cent rise in sales of untaxed drinks – mainly due to more purchases of bottled plain water.

The greatest reduction came in the poorest households, where monthly purchases of sweet drinks

fell by 17 per cent. The new campaign by Public Health England (PHE) warns that five-year-olds should

only be consuming the equivalent of five sugar cubes a day.

On average, child are having three times their recommended maximum daily intake, which rises to six

cubes for six to ten-year-olds, and seven cubes for anyone of the age of 11.

Source 9: Quotations from organisations

“It is unbelievable that the government refuses to discuss a sugar tax in the UK

even when the cost of treating obesity and its associated diseases may bring the

NHS to its knees.”

Tam Fry, spokesperson, National Obesity Forum.

“From cereal in the morning through to puddings in the evening, not to mention

the sugary drinks and snacks, it all adds up. Too much sugar can mean our children

facing a life of bad health, from obesity, type 2 diabetes through to dental

problems.”

Dr Ruth Hussey, Chief Medical Officer for Wales, January 2015.

“There is no evidence that food taxes have an effect on obesity. In 2013, Denmark

scrapped its fat tax because of its economic impact and abandoned plans for a tax

on sugar.

Evidence from France shows that while sales of soft drinks initially fell after a tax

was introduced in 2012 they have increased since.

In Mexico the impact of a soft drinks tax saw a reduction of only 6.2 calories per

day– 0.2% of the daily diet and a similar tax in the UK would lead to a reduction

of just 4 calories per person per day.”

British Soft Drinks Association, November 2015.

Source 10: Results on a vote on the motion and amendments

in the National Assembly for Wales (9 December 2015)

The National Assembly for Wales calls on the Welsh Government to bring forward proposals to use

new taxation powers under the Wales Act 2014 to allow the next Welsh Government to introduce a

levy on sugary drinks.

For Abstain Against Total

38 0 10 48

Source 11: Not so sweet? Debating a Welsh sugar tax, 8

December 2015. Article by Megan Jones, National Assembly

for Wales Research Service

In plenary on Wednesday, Assembly Members will take part in a debate on the introduction of a sugar

tax. The non-government motion for debate tabled by Elin Jones, proposes that:

“The National Assembly for Wales: calls on the Welsh Government to bring forward

proposals to use new taxation powers under the Wales Act 2014 to allow the next

Welsh Government to introduce a levy on sugary drinks.”

Sugar Tax

A sugar tax involves increasing the price of sugary foods and/or drinks, such as soft drinks, with the

aim of decreasing the consumption of such products.

A number of European countries have already introduced additional taxes on sugary or fatty foods. An

additional tax on sweets, chocolate, cocoa-based products, ice cream and ice lollies has been in place

in Finland since 2011, as well as a separate additional tax on soft drinks. In the same year, Hungary

introduced an additional tax on products such as soft drinks, energy drinks and pre-packed

sweetened products, salty snacks and condiments. France introduced a tax on all drinks with added

sugar or artificial sweeteners in 2012.

Wales

At present, the National Assembly for Wales does not have the general power to impose new taxes,

such as the sugar tax. However, the Wales Act 2014 gives the Welsh Government the power to

introduce new devolved taxes, but only with the prior agreement of the UK Government, through an

Order in Council. Therefore, the Welsh Government could, with the support of the UK Government,

use its new fiscal powers as a means of introducing a sugar tax in Wales.

The idea of a sugar or ‘pop tax’ has attracted some support from stakeholders including the British

Medical Association (BMA) in its Food for Thought report, and the Royal College of Paediatrics and

Child Health (RCPCH) in its manifesto Child Health Matters, as well as celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

During a debate on obesity in the National Assembly in May 2015, the First Minister, Carwyn Jones,

stated that a sugar tax was ‘an interesting idea’, but ‘not sufficient on its own’, to deal with the

problem of childhood obesity.

UK Position

In October 2015 Public Health England (PHE) published a review of the evidence concerning

measures to reduce sugar consumption. The review, Sugar reduction: the evidence for action,

concludes that a range of factors are contributing to increased sugar consumption, and that a

correspondingly broad range of measures is needed in response, such as action to address:

price promotions in shops and restaurants

the marketing and advertising of high sugar products to children

the sugar content in and portion size of everyday food and drink products

Additionally the review considers a tax or a levy, as a means of reducing sugar intake, but suggests

that tackling marketing, pricing and food content may be more effective.

In November 2015, the House of Commons Health Select Committee published a report, Childhood

Obesity – Brave and Bold Action, which recommended the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks. The

chair of the Committee, Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, said: “A full package of bold measures is required and

should be implemented as soon as possible. We believe that a sugary drinks tax should be included in

these measures with all proceeds clearly directed to improving our children’s health.”

Following the organisation of a petition, with over 100,000 signatures, calling on the UK Government

to introduce a tax on sugary drinks, the matter was debated by the UK Parliament on 30 November

2015. In response to both the petition and debate, the UK Government initially confirmed: “The

Government has no plans to introduce a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages”.

The causes of obesity are complex, caused by a number of dietary, lifestyle, environmental and

genetic factors, and tackling it will require a comprehensive and broad approach. As such, the

Government is considering a range of options for tackling childhood obesity, and the contribution

that Government, alongside industry, families and communities can make, and will announce its plans

for tackling childhood obesity by the end of the year.

In the UK Government’s Budget in March 2016, it was announced that a new soft drinks levy ( ‘pop

tax’) would be a law they would like to introduce by 2017.

Welsh Government

One of the issues the Welsh Government is currently highlighting to tackle obesity is adverts that

market food and drink that are high in fat, salt and sugar to children. The Health Minister, Mark

Drakeford, has called on the UK Government to ban adverts for fatty and sugary food from being

broadcast before 9pm.

According to the Minister:

“Adverts marketing soft drinks, chocolate, other confectionery, and sugary cereals

are all making significant contributions to children consuming free sugar.

All these food sectors are actively marketed during the advertisement breaks of TV

programmes we know our children and young people watch.”

Source 12: A summary of the transcript from the Record of

Proceedings – a view from all the political parties in Wales (9

December 2015)

“Let’s recap some of the facts about the consumption of soft drinks and health.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition stated that drinking high-sugar

beverages results in weight gain and increases body mass index in teenagers and

children. An obese child is 80 per cent more likely to be an obese adult. Being

overweight in adolescence is linked to a greater risk of bowel cancer later in life.

Overweight teenagers go on to have twice the risk of bowel cancer. Drinking a can

of Coke a day increases the risk of developing diabetes by 22 per cent. Yet sugary

drinks are taxed at a standard rate of VAT. They attract no extra taxation or duty

that reflects the health risks and costs associated with consumption.”

“So, I urge Members here this afternoon to support the introduction of a pop tax in

Wales, and for us here to lead the way in making this change happen for the benefit

of the health of our nation.”

Elin Jones AM Plaid Cymru

“A Tango tax is not the answer to the public health crisis that is growing here in

Wales. Whilst I have a great deal of sympathy with the calls to address increasing

sugar consumption across the country, I think we have to put things into context.

The reality is that only 3 per cent of the calories consumed here in Wales actually

come from soft drinks—just 3 per cent. So, if we think we’re going to make a huge

difference by simply taxing something like sugary drinks, then we are hugely

mistaken. And I don’t think that we will ever see, as a result of that, the sort of sea

change in the consumption of sugar that Elin Jones, quite rightly, is seeking to

establish here in Wales.”

“Let me tell you that certain fruit juice drinks have higher sugar contents than fizzy

pop. Are you wanting to tax those? Are you wanting to have additional taxes on

sugary milk products? You’re nodding away. So, you want to discourage people

from drinking fruit drinks, fruit juices—yes? You want to discourage people from

consuming something which is proven to have some health benefits and actually

tax an industry that is already making significant inroads into reducing the sugar

content of its drinks. I think this is entirely the wrong approach. If you think

seriously that adding pennies to the cost of a can of pop in Wales is going to

discourage youngsters across this country from buying the occasional Coke or the

occasional Fanta or the occasional Lilt or whatever else they’re buying, I think you

will be very much mistaken indeed.”

Darren Millar AM Conservatives

I think schools are already doing a good job on promoting healthy eating to

children, and the Change4Life sugar swap campaign is promoting tips on how to

lower sugar intake. So, there are other very important things we can do. I do realise

that the causes of childhood obesity are not just down to drinking pop. I think

increasing the cost of sugary drinks would send the right signal to families with

children and teenagers who are forming the habits of a lifetime at this point in their

lives. I think it is very important that we do this, as well as making sure that children

have the best start in life in relation to dentistry as well. I’ll just finally end on this

point about dentistry. When I first came to this Assembly and the children’s

committee looked at the issue with children’s teeth in Wales, it was absolutely

horrific what was happening at that time. I think that this would help with that a lot.

Julie Morgan AM Labour

I would like to see this tax used, as I said, as part of concerted action and a

concerted campaign by this Assembly as a whole and the Welsh Government to

persuade the Westminster Government to take action on marketing and

advertising of high-sugar products, especially to children, as well as looking to put

extra pressure on the food industry to address the sugar content and portion size

of everyday foods, because whilst we see table sugar dropping in sales, actually, our

sugar content is going up because of the hidden sugar in so many products that

people are not aware that they’re consuming.

Kirsty Williams AM Welsh Liberal Democrats

I think it is important—many people have said this afternoon that taxation is only

one of the policy tools open to us to tackle the problem of sugary drinks. We’ve

already got a wide range of measures in place to support and encourage healthy

diets and healthy, more active living. It’s important to just record those again: the

all-Wales obesity pathway, a framework for the services and support provided by

health boards, working with local government and other partners; the work being

taken forward by Public Health Wales in developing its 10-step programme to

address childhood obesity, and that’s focusing on how parents can adopt healthy

habits with their children at an early stage; Let’s Walk Cymru, walking projects

targeted at inactive adults—it’s not just children; the national exercise referral

scheme, targeting clients who are developing or have developed a chronic

condition; Change4Life Wales; and Healthy Working Wales. And, of course, we’ve

talked about education quite a bit this afternoon—the Welsh network of healthy

school schemes are particularly important in encouraging the development of

local healthy schools schemes.

Jane Hutt AM Welsh Government

Source 13: The UK Parliament 2016 Budget

In the budget on 16 March 2016, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced proposals for a new

soft drinks industry levy targeted at producers and importers of soft drinks that contain added sugar.

The main points are:

This aims to encourage companies to reduce the added sugar in the drinks they sell. The budget

report states that this could mean an increase of 18 pence or 24 pence per litre according to sugar

content.

If producers change their behaviour, they will pay less tax. The levy is expected to raise £520 million

in the first year

In England, revenue from the levy will be used to double the primary school PE and sport premium

from £160 million per year to £320 million per year from September 2017

The most sugary drinks will have the highest level of tax, with an exclusion for small operators, pure

fruit juices and milk-based drinks .

There will be a consultation on the details of the levy over summer 2016 for legislation in 2017 and

implementation in April 2018.

There has been a varied response to the proposed levy. The British Medical Association, the UK’s

Faculty of Public Health and health charities such as Diabetes UK and Cancer Research UK have

welcomed the proposal. Campaigners said they hoped the tax was a sign that the Government’s

childhood obesity strategy, the publication of has been delayed, would contain other similarly strong

measures.

Conversely, the food and soft drinks industry have criticised the proposal, with the British Soft Drinks

Association reporting that it was extremely disappointed at the planned levy.

Since health is devolved there will almost certainly be further discussions on the levy between the UK

and Welsh Governments.

Activity 4: The sugar tax debate in Wales and the

UK

For Against

Activity 5: SWOT Analysis

Is there a solution?

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Activity 6: Personal standpoint

Activity 7: Raising awareness

Activity 8: Personal reflection

Outcome I have started to develop this

skill

I am confident I have

achieved this outcome

I can use PESTLE to think

about an issue

I can critically assess a variety

of sources

I can consider a variety of

viewpoints about an issue

I can solve problems and make

decisions using SWOT

I have developed a personal

standpoint about the issue of

sugar in sugary drinks

I can generate appropriate and

realistic ideas for raising

awareness

1

1