{"id":15392,"date":"2016-04-18T18:48:27","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T18:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/?p=15392"},"modified":"2016-04-20T04:53:02","modified_gmt":"2016-04-20T04:53:02","slug":"fat-tax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax","title":{"rendered":"South Africa&#8217;s \u201cFat Tax\u201d On Sugary Drinks Is Drawing Mixed Opinions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"a6b39195b99473d6c9dd698db2668010\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:2px 0 2px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<center>\r\n\r\n<script type='text\/javascript'>\r\nfunction ShorterThan(widthMax) {\r\n                if (screen.width < widthMax) {return true;}  \r\n                else {return false}\r\n    }\r\nvar LimitWidth = 728\r\nvar MobileZoneID = 348996\r\nvar DesktopZoneID = 348995   \r\n<!--\/\/<![CDATA[\r\n   document.MAX_ct0 ='';\r\n   var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'?'https:\/\/cas.criteo.com\/delivery\/ajs.php?':'https:\/\/cas.criteo.com\/delivery\/ajs.php?');\r\n   var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999);\r\n   document.write (\"<scr\"+\"ipt type='text\/javascript' src='\"+m3_u);\r\n   if (ShorterThan(LimitWidth)) {document.write (\"zoneid=\"+MobileZoneID);} else {document.write (\"zoneid=\"+DesktopZoneID);}\r\n   document.write(\"&nodis=1\");\r\n   document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r);\r\n   if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write (\"&exclude=\" + document.MAX_used);\r\n   document.write (document.charset ? '&charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? '&charset='+document.characterSet : ''));\r\n   document.write (\"&loc=\" + escape(window.location));\r\n   if (document.referrer) document.write (\"&referer=\" + escape(document.referrer));\r\n   if (document.context) document.write (\"&context=\" + escape(document.context));\r\n   if ((typeof(document.MAX_ct0) != 'undefined') && (document.MAX_ct0.substring(0,4) == 'http')) {\r\n       document.write (\"&ct0=\" + escape(document.MAX_ct0));\r\n   }\r\n   if (document.mmm_fo) document.write (\"&mmm_fo=1\");\r\n   document.write (\"'><\/scr\"+\"ipt>\");\r\n\/\/]]>--><\/script>\r\n<\/center>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">South Africa\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">is one of the most obese countries in Africa with about two-thirds of the population classified as overweight and more than a fourth considered obese. To combat the issue, the government is proposing a tax on sugary drinks like soda and sweetened juice. The so-called \u201csugar tax\u201d or \u201cfat tax\u201d is intended to help curb consumers\u2019 unhealthy habits and help with the economic burdens obesity causes. \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>An effort to cut obesity<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The tax was proposed after the Department of Health published a report on how sugar relates to obesity in December. A regular 12-ounce can of Coke has 39 grams of total sugar, which is more than nine teaspoons of sugar. This exceeds the daily recommended allowance for sugar for both men and women. A few countries, like Britain and Mexico have begun taxing these sugary drinks in an effort to cut down on obesity. The Department of Health report states that South African authorities intend to reduce obesity by 10% in the next four years; this tax is one of the government\u2019s efforts. Obesity is becoming a crisis in the nation. South Africa is not only one of the most obese countries in Africa, but it is also the third most obese nation in the world. Obesity puts people at a higher risk for being diagnosed with diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Dealing with all of these obesity-related diseases puts a considerable strain on the nation\u2019s health care system, which is another motivation behind the tax. \u00a0&#8220;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;People need to realize that there are more people dying from obesity (related illnesses) than from any other disease in the world,&#8221; said endocrinologist Professor Tess van der Merwe. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15395\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15395\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15395\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/sugar-in-coke.jpg\" alt=\"source\" width=\"700\" height=\"463\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/sugar-in-coke.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/sugar-in-coke-600x397.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/sugar-in-coke-85x56.jpg 85w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15395\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vidasanamisiones.com.ar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/sugar-in-coke.jpg\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Consumers are unlikely to change their behavior<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite the introduction of this tax, South African consumers are unlikely to decrease their sugar consumption. 30-year-old Thulani Masango from Zandspruit said that consumers are fully aware of the dangers of sugar. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cWe know sugar causes diabetes and obesity,\u201d he said. \u201cBut&#8230;we cannot survive without sugar.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He pointed out that price increases on other products have not affected them.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201c<strong>As we speak, the price of meat has gone up, but we continue braaing (barbecuing). Alcohol goes up almost every year, we still drink. It\u2019s the same with sugar. It\u2019s something that is uncontrollable.\u201d<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">53-year-old Anastacia Tshabalala, who is a supervisor for a supermarket in Zandspruit, had a similar opinion. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u00a0&#8220;Sugar is sugar! We are going to take it no matter what. Even if the price goes up, we have to take sugar everyday &#8212; you can&#8217;t live without it,&#8221; she said. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And fellow consumer Fabian Ridly agreed. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cI don\u2019t think people will buy less because if someone really likes something someone will buy something that person likes, so I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a good idea to increase the prices.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15396\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15396\" style=\"width: 717px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-15396\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/060513-health-children-drinking-soda-sugar-drinks-cola-dinner-diet.jpg\" alt=\"source\" width=\"717\" height=\"403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/060513-health-children-drinking-soda-sugar-drinks-cola-dinner-diet.jpg 628w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/060513-health-children-drinking-soda-sugar-drinks-cola-dinner-diet-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/060513-health-children-drinking-soda-sugar-drinks-cola-dinner-diet-85x48.jpg 85w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 717px) 100vw, 717px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15396\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/-ieIjvsaI8p0\/VRhl-MKrI-I\/AAAAAAAAAVM\/ed-FUxjrhDw\/s1600\/060513-health-children-drinking-soda-sugar-drinks-cola-dinner-diet.jpg\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Manufacturers warn that it could cause job losses<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The manufacturers behind sugary drinks are even more upset at this tax than the consumers. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;For the treasury to announce a tax on only one category of foods is discriminatory,&#8221; executive director of the Beverage Association of South Africa,<\/strong> <strong>Mapule Ncanywa, said. &#8220;We don&#8217;t think that it&#8217;s going to have the desired result of reducing excessive intake of sugar, let alone obesity for that matter.&#8221; \u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ncanywa added that the tax could negatively impact the economy. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>\u201cThere definitely will be job losses and certainly the small business owners are going to be extremely impacted,\u201d he said.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15397\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15397\" style=\"width: 707px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-15397\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/1444157052737.jpg\" alt=\"source\" width=\"707\" height=\"396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/1444157052737.jpg 596w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/1444157052737-85x48.jpg 85w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 707px) 100vw, 707px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15397\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coca-colacompany.com\/our-company\/workplace-overview\/suppliers\/supplier-and-customer-partnerships\/_jcr_content\/lead\/smartslides1\/slide1.resize.w_596.h_334.jpg\/TIiYFOWZpDtapgE4NA\/1444157052737.jpg\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Even health experts are critical <\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Minister Gordhan has not announced what rate sugary drinks will be taxed at. But, according to a Plos-One study published, a 20% rate will only reduce obesity by 2.4% for females and 3.8% males. Even health experts, like van der Merwe, are skeptical of how helpful the tax will be. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>&#8220;These are epidemic proportions,&#8221; she said. \u00a0&#8220;I don&#8217;t believe that it will curb the epidemic unless we have a definitive preventative and treatment strategy in place &#8212; like tax didn&#8217;t curb alcohol use.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15398\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15398\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15398\" src=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/supermarket_in_accra_ghana.jpg\" alt=\"source\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/supermarket_in_accra_ghana.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/supermarket_in_accra_ghana-600x450.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/supermarket_in_accra_ghana-85x64.jpg 85w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15398\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/1\/17\/Supermarket_in_Accra,_Ghana.jpg\">source<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">[interaction id=&#8221;57152a471de2251249f045f1&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fast-food-africa\">SEE ALSO:\u00a0Africa Is Turning Into A Promising Market For Fast-Food Chains.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<!--CusAds0-->\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa\u00a0is one of the most obese countries in Africa with about two-thirds of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":15396,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[27],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>South Africa&#039;s \u201cFat Tax\u201d On Sugary Drinks Is Drawing Mixed Opinions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"South Africa is one of the most obese countries in Africa.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Africa&#039;s \u201cFat Tax\u201d On Sugary Drinks Is Drawing Mixed Opinions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South Africa is one of the most obese countries in Africa.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afrizap World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfriZapMedia?ref=bookmarks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-04-18T18:48:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-04-20T04:53:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/060513-health-children-drinking-soda-sugar-drinks-cola-dinner-diet.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"353\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Yasmin Sara\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Yasmin Sara\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax\",\"name\":\"South Africa's \u201cFat Tax\u201d On Sugary Drinks Is Drawing Mixed Opinions\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-04-18T18:48:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-04-20T04:53:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/9992fc23de513d4970e7ed6606795af2\"},\"description\":\"South Africa is one of the most obese countries in Africa.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Afrizap World\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/9992fc23de513d4970e7ed6606795af2\",\"name\":\"Yasmin Sara\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a99fabc80d9bd7d6487330fa98c0c3bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a99fabc80d9bd7d6487330fa98c0c3bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Yasmin Sara\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/author\/yasmin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"South Africa's \u201cFat Tax\u201d On Sugary Drinks Is Drawing Mixed Opinions","description":"South Africa is one of the most obese countries in Africa.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"South Africa's \u201cFat Tax\u201d On Sugary Drinks Is Drawing Mixed Opinions","og_description":"South Africa is one of the most obese countries in Africa.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax","og_site_name":"Afrizap World","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfriZapMedia?ref=bookmarks","article_published_time":"2016-04-18T18:48:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-04-20T04:53:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":628,"height":353,"url":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/04\/060513-health-children-drinking-soda-sugar-drinks-cola-dinner-diet.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Yasmin Sara","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Yasmin Sara","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax","url":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax","name":"South Africa's \u201cFat Tax\u201d On Sugary Drinks Is Drawing Mixed Opinions","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-04-18T18:48:27+00:00","dateModified":"2016-04-20T04:53:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/9992fc23de513d4970e7ed6606795af2"},"description":"South Africa is one of the most obese countries in Africa.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/fat-tax"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/","name":"Afrizap World","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/9992fc23de513d4970e7ed6606795af2","name":"Yasmin Sara","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a99fabc80d9bd7d6487330fa98c0c3bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a99fabc80d9bd7d6487330fa98c0c3bf?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Yasmin Sara"},"url":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/author\/yasmin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15392"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15392"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15446,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15392\/revisions\/15446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.afrizap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}