THE Australasian Association of Convenience Stores has released research claiming a majority of Australians believe a tax on sugary beverages would be ineffective in the fight against obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Released in the wake of new recommendations from the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute (PD yesterday), the retailer study says respondents opposed a sugar tax because it would "increase cost of living pressure, threaten businesses and jobs, and because there are better ways to tackle obesity".
The Australian Beverages Council, Canegrowers and the Australian Food and Grocery Council have also united to point out that the retail, farming, grocery and beverage sectors contribute more than $311 billion to the economy annually.
In addition, the group said, it was not beneficial to blame or tax a single component of the diet, citing ABS statistics showing a drop in added sugar intake while obesity rates continued to climb.
"Drinks are clearly not the only source of sugar in Australian diets."
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