Since the government introduced a tax on sugary drinks, Coca-Cola South Africa has cut the sugar in its drinks by 26 per cent.
On 1 April 2018, the South African government introduced a sugar tax which meant a Health Promotion Levy of 2.1 cents per gram of sugar on all sweetened drinks, with the exception of the first 4 grams of sugar per 100ml. It is said that this exemption is a way to encourage manufacturers to cut their sugar content.
“In South Africa, over a two-year period, we had reduced average sugar content across our portfolio by 26 per cent, ahead of industry commitments of 15 per cent,” said Head of Communications at Coca Cola, Camilla Osborne.
“Too much sugar is not good for anyone and also not support the current recommendation by several leading health authorities, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) that people should limit their intake of added sugar to no more than 10 per cent of their total energy/calorie consumption,” she further added.
Many countries like the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, and as well some US states, have introduced a tax on sugary drinks over the past few years.
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