‘Sweet drink’ industry wants officials to consider alternate plan

The Barbados Beverage Coalition is calling on government to place a temporary halt on a controversial plan to double the excise tax on sweetened beverages.

But, Minister of Health and Wellness Ian Gooding-Edghill has also signaled his intention to meet with the stakeholders on Friday for a “very serious discussion” about the way forward in relation to the government’s treatment of sweet drinks.

In a statement released after a press conference on Wednesday, the group, which includes local manufacturers and importers, pleaded with the government to pursue “true solutions” to the myriad of health-related challenges facing the country.

The group of concerned stakeholders instead asked policymakers to consider their plan to pursue a joint, multi-stakeholder effort to tackle the problems without further increasing the tax from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

According to the statement, the sector had engaged academics, civil society, healthcare officials and looked at the experience in other countries.

General Manager at the Barbados Bottling Company Limited Andre Thomas who is leading the coalition, declared that many of his colleagues were concerned about the fairness of the tax.

“He pointed to statistics that indicate that Barbados imports 24,000 tons of sugar annually of which beverage manufacturers account for 3,200. Also mentioned was the timing of the tax coming at a moment where the global supply chain and COVID pressures had already been putting inflationary pressures on countries and consumers,” said the statement.

According to the statement, Dr Mikaeel Mohammed, Territory Head for SM Jaleel, which supplies Fruta and Busta branded beverages, pointed to statistics indicating that ultra processed food consumption was as significant in the push away from unhealthy lifestyles.

“As a trained medical doctor I agree with many public health bodies, including the WHO, who have long recognized that obesity is a multifactorial matter and must include complex environmental, social, economic, behavioral factors in any considerations,” said Dr Mohammed.

“According to the study ‘Ultra-processed food consumption in Barbados,’ from the University of Cambridge, published in 2021 in The Journal of Nutritional Science, the consumption of processed foods in Barbados represented 40.5 per cent of the total energy of the average Barbadian adult diet. Beverages account for only 8.4 per cent,” he contended.

CEO of Hanschell Inniss Limited Vidia Woods also revealed that the group would launch a three-layered plan dubbed the “Balanced Calorie Initiative” encouraging moderation of calorie consumption.

The plan includes the reduction of the industry’s “caloric footprint”, the offering of smaller package sizes, adopting FDA type product labelling and pursuing “a responsible marketing strategy”.

The announcement of the April 1 increase was made by Prime Minister Mia Mottley during the recent budget presentation.

On Tuesday, Minister Gooding-Edgehill announced that he would be meeting with the stakeholders, whilst underscoring the need for “urgent action” and a “coordinated approach” against NCDs.

He noted that NCDs account for eight of the top 10 causes of death in Barbados based on the Barbados health report for 2019 and. He did not rule out further legislation to enforce the government’s agenda.

“Obviously, we will have to use moral suasion; public education is also a good measurement and a good tool to use, clearly meeting with other members and stakeholders in the business community and if necessary, we may have to go the route of legislation in order to reverse this NCD trend,” said Gooding-Edghill whilst on Starcom Network’s Down-to-Brass-Tacks programme.

“NCDs are a national problem which requires a national approach to deal with them and we most definitely will have to do so. For example, [Monday] the Barbados Beverage Coalition reached out to me and asked for a meeting and I will meet with them this Friday and that will tell you the urgency of the whole issue.

“I am going to meet with them this Friday and engage them in a very serious discussion about the way forward in respect of the sugar content for beverages,” the minister promised.

Next Tuesday, the health minister will also meet with the heads of all state-owned health facilitiesto examine their food and beverage purchasing strategies and ensure that they are in line with the anti-NCD agenda.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb