Health advocates welcome drinks makers reduced-sugar shift

Health advocates have welcomed recent moves by beverage manufacturers to cut sugar content, describing the shift as a key public health gain amid mounting concern over childhood obesity and diet-related diseases.

Programme Manager of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition, Francine Charles, said civil society groups have praised the reformulation of several beverages, including new reduced-sugar and no-added-sugar options introduced to the market in recent months.

In the last several months, Pine Hill Dairy expanded its product range to include a reduced sugar line and a 100 per cent juice line, both featuring no added sugar and no preservatives. Other local distributors have also introduced lower-sugar beverages to their product lines.

“We have seen one of the major outcomes that we had hoped for with our advocacy, which is the reformulation of sugar-sweetened beverages,” Charles told Barbados TODAY.

The recent increase in the sugar-sweetened beverage tax to 20 per cent was intended not simply to generate revenue but to encourage manufacturers to lower the sugar content of their products, she said.

“We were very happy to see that because the intent was not necessarily to be taxing companies but encouraging reformulation so that the sugar content of drinks comes below the tax bracket.”

Charles also pointed to progress under the school nutrition policy, which has gradually tightened standards for foods and beverages sold in schools.

“Beverages in schools are supposed to have no sugar added or sweeteners,” she said, noting that companies have responded by developing sugar-free, water-based and other healthier alternatives that meet the required standards.

She praised the collaboration between the Ministry of Education Transformation and drinks manufacturers in developing products suitable for school environments, including milk-based options and healthier imported alternatives.

“Civil society is pleased to see that movement and we hope there will be more of it as we go forward,” Charles said.

Despite these gains, she cautioned that Barbados continues to face significant challenges in reducing obesity levels, particularly among children.

Charles noted that the most recent data showing childhood obesity rates at 42 per cent dates back to 2022 and said it remains unclear whether current interventions have been sufficient to reverse the trend.

“I’m not sure that we have done enough as a society,” she said. “The policies have probably not been enforced as strongly as we could, and education has to be massive to really touch every single household in Barbados.”

She called for stronger enforcement of existing policies and greater public education efforts to encourage healthier lifestyles.

At the same time, Charles revealed that civil society groups are preparing proposals aimed at making healthier foods more affordable and will soon meet with government officials to discuss them.

“The FAO has indicated that it is very expensive to eat healthy in Barbados and in the Caribbean in general,” she said.

Interest groups have been studying international best practice and consulting experts to develop recommendations that could help lower the cost of nutritious foods and improve access to healthier options for Barbadians, said Charles.

(SB)