October 11, 2016 (Toronto) — The Canadian Beverage Association (CBA) does not support increased taxes on our members’ products as such measures have proven ineffective internationally at achieving desired health outcomes. Canada has already seen a 20% reduction in beverage calories over the past decade while obesity rates continued to rise.[1] In addition, CBA and its members set a goal to further reduce calories by 20% over the next 10 years through the Balance Calories initiative. Finally, academic research by McKinsey Global Institute found that taxing beverages is one of the least effective interventions in reducing calories in the diet.[2] While we support efforts to address obesity, CBA believes a comprehensive approach based in research from a variety of sources is necessary to achieve lasting solutions.
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[1] Beverage consumption data from Canadean www.canadean.com; Obesity rates from Statistics Canada.
[2] McKinsey Global Institute, Overcoming obesity: An initial economic analysis. November 2014.