Impact of an excise tax on the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in young people living in poorer neighbourhoods of Catalonia, Spain: a difference in differences study

Abstract

BackgroundSugar-sweetened beverage consumption is contributing to the obesity epidemic. On 28 March 2017, Catalonia enacted a law levying an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages for public health reasons. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the tax on the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Catalonia (Spain).MethodsBefore-and-after study to assess changes in the prevalence of consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among 1929 persons aged 12 to 40 years residing in low-income neighbourhoods of Barcelona (intervention) and Madrid (control). Beverage consumption frequency was ascertained via a validated questionnaire administered during the month prior to the tax’s introduction (May 2017) and again at 1 year after it had come into force. The effect of the tax was obtained using Poisson regression models with robust variance weighted using propensity scores.ResultsWhile the prevalence of regular consumers of taxed beverages fell by 39% in Barcelona as compared to Madrid, the prevalence of consumers of untaxed beverages remained stable. The main reason cited by more than two-thirds of those surveyed for reducing their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was the increase in price, followed by a heightened awareness of their health effects.ConclusionsThe introduction of the Catalonian excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages was followed by a reduction in the prevalence of regular consumers of taxed beverages.

Soft Drinks and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Advertising in Spain: Correlation between Nutritional Values and Advertising Discursive Strategies

“…In California, the consumption of taxed beverages fell by 21% in the four months after the tax was implemented [51]. After one year of its introduction, the Catalonian excise tax on SSBs brought about a 39% fall in the prevalence of regular consumers of taxed beverages [52]. Also, SSB purchases decreased and water purchases increased after an SSB tax was imposed in Mexico.…”

How Does the Probability of Purchasing Moderately Sugary Beverages and 100% Fruit Juice Vary Across Sugar Tax Structures?

“…Additionally, the experimental purchasing tasks may not accurately reflect consumers’ behaviors in real‐world settings. Participants did not have the option to decline a purchase and they were not informed that the price increases were due to taxes; in the real world, consumers' responses to SSB taxes are often strengthened by heightened awareness as a result of media and education campaigns (6,15). Participants did not use their own money and received the product from only one task, which may have led to more carefree purchasing decisions throughout the tasks.…”

Sugar-Sweetened and Diet Beverage Consumption in Philadelphia One Year after the Beverage Tax

“…In Mexico, where cross-border purchases were minimal because the tax was implemented nationwide, a 7.6% decline was reported after two years of the tax [19]. Similar beverage tax in Catalonia reduced the prevalence of regular taxed beverage consumers by 39% [20]. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis of the real-world SSB tax impact found that a 10% price increase caused by the tax was associated with an average of 10% reduction in beverage purchases [21].…”