Just over three-quarters of all soft drinks sold in Ireland are not liable for the upcoming sugar tax, according to the Irish Beverage Council.
Ibec, the body that represents soft drinks companies, has stated that 76% of soft drinks in Ireland are sugar tax-free as a result of the industry’s "35-year journey to reduce sugar content in drinks."
Irish Beverage Council director Colm Jordan commented, “In Ireland, 10 billion calories have been removed annually between 2005 and 2012 through voluntary sugar reduction in soft drinks. That is a 10% reduction in seven years. Today, soft drinks represent less than 3% of Ireland’s calorific intake.
“The sugar-sweetened drink tax, passed in the last budget, will come into force this Tuesday, May 1. The government’s health impact assessment found no conclusive evidence that a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks will impact population weight. Wherever a tax has been introduced it has failed to tackle obesity. Notwithstanding this, we have co-operated fully with the design and implementation of the tax.”
© 2018 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Original article by Checkout. Edited for Hospitality Ireland by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
