British Association of Dental Therapist Backs Sugar Tax
The British Association of Dental Therapists has backed calls to introduce a sugar tax in the UK. The BADT has urged the government to follow the example of Mexico, where a sugar tax has reduced sales of sugary and fizzy drinks by 12 percent.
The BADT has expressed support for a new sugar tax in the UK on the back of the release of figures from Mexico in the British Medical Journal. A 10 percent tax was introduced in Mexico and subsequently sales of sugary drinks have fallen by 12 percent and sales of healthier alternatives have increased by 4 percent.
The association is the latest in a string of big names to support the campaign. The British Dental Health Foundation, medical experts and public health bodies have already expressed their desire to see a tax on sugary drinks introduced by the UK government. The aim of the campaign is to reduce sugar consumption, particularly among younger people, in a bid to reduce rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes and dental decay.
A report published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology suggests that reducing sugar content in popular drinks over the next five years could help to prevent around 300,000 cases of type 2 diabetes.
Fiona Sandom, president of the BADT, stressed the importance of education and public health policy in order to ensure that people have the knowledge and information to make positive choices.
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