NUTRITION 

Taxes on sugary drinks. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a public consultation to feed into its World Plan of Action for a Healthy Life, which is being developed jointly by 12 multilateral health organizations and within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is likely this will recommend taxes on sugary and ultra-processed beverages. The first draft of the plan is expected to be published in September 2019.

Following the consultation, WHO has indicated it will be necessary to advance in the introduction and adjustment of selective tax rates focused on some ingredients, among which are sugary beverages and ultra-processed foods. The objective would be to “reduce the incidence of diseases while generating new sources of financing to cover priority issues related to development, including universal health coverage”. WHO also notes that “health requires multi-stakeholder responses involving a wide range of public and private actors”.

Next steps:

In the wake of the consultation, the agencies behind the ne Plan (WHO along with the World Bank Group, UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme, among others) are expected to publish a draft of this program in September 2019. Among the objectives of the report, the agencies recommend taxing sugary and ultra-processed beverages. In addition, the document seeks to focus on the priorities and needs of each of the countries in order to outline the actions to be taken by these organizations.