Peak health bodies and public health experts have supported calls from the Australian Medical Association to introduce a sugar tax, despite fierce opposition from food and drink industry representatives and politicians.

The president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Michael Gannon, said on Monday that tackling the impact of sugar on health was a struggle comparable to taking on big tobacco.

“Improving the nutrition and eating habits of Australians must become a priority for all levels of government,” Gannon said. “We need to drag government to action with a variety of measures. One of the easiest to implement, and one of the simplest to call for, is a tax on sugar sweetened drinks. We don’t think that’s the silver bullet to fix our obesity crisis but it’s certainly part of the jigsaw.”

Australian Medical Association wants tax on sugary drinks and ban on junk food ads Read more

The AMA’s Position Statement on Nutrition 2018 says a tax on sugar sweetened drinks should be introduced as a matter of priority.

Fruit and vegetables should be kept affordable for those on low or fixed incomes, even if it contradicts market demands, the AMA argues. Money raised through a sugar tax could be reinvested towards supporting good nutrition and education, Gannon said.

Research published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health in November found one in seven adolescents were drinking more than two cups of sugar sweetened drinks a day – amounting to 11 teaspoons of sugar – and were up to three times more likely to have oral health problems than those who did not drink sweetened beverages.

A study published in the September edition of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found sales of soft drinks at the Alfred hospital in Melbourne dropped by 27.6% during a 17-week trial when the price of sugary drinks was increased by 20%. Bottled water sales increased by almost the same amount.

A separate study from the school of health and social development at Deakin University found Australia’s lowest socioeconomic group would receive the greatest health benefits from a tax on sugary drinks. The study used economic modelling to show the increase in annual spending on sugar sweetened drinks would amount to an average of $30 per person, described as a modest increase when the health benefits were considered.

The chief executive of the Public Health Association of Australia, Michael Moore, said a sugar tax was an effective way to steer people away from unhealthy drinks.

“There is much more awareness now of the damage which sugary drinks inflict on their consumers’ health, such as their direct correlation with obesity and the development of type 2 diabetes,” he said. “While there has been an attempt at the message of consuming these discretionary foods and beverages in moderation, it has been ineffective in significantly reducing excessive consumption of sugary drinks.”

Twenty-six countries have put a health levy on sugary drinks. But the federal minister for agriculture and water resources, David Littleproud, said on Monday governments “should not dictate the diet of citizens”.

“People need to take personal responsibility,” he said. “Increasing the family grocery bill will not magically make Australians skinny.”

Littleproud’s comments were echoed by the CEO of the Australasian Association of Convenience Stores, Jeff Rogut.

He described a sugar tax as a reactionary measure that would pose a threat to food manufacturers, the sugar industry and to convenience stores.

“The health minister is on the record as ruling out the introduction of a sugar tax and we welcome this decision,” Rogut said. “The views of business and consumer groups like ours are often not afforded the same level of consideration as the powerful health lobby, so we are especially grateful that, in this instance, common sense seems to have prevailed.”