Sweet success: UK's sugar tax cuts sugar consumption

A recent study examined how the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) implemented in 2018 has affected individual sugar consumption in the UK.

Researchers used a controlled interrupted time series from 2011 to 2019 to analyse changes in free sugar consumption in the diets of a nationally representative sample of UK adults (age 18 and over) and children (age 1.5 to 19). The study compared observed data with a hypothetical scenario where the SDIL was never introduced. Factors like protein consumption were used as controls, and the analysis accounted for pre-existing trends and autocorrelation.

The study found notable reductions in the daily intake of free sugars following the SDIL implementation including a reduction of 4.8 grams per day in overall diet of children and a reduction of 10.9 grams per day in adults.

However while the percentage of total dietary energy from free sugars decreased, this change was not significantly different from the hypothetical scenario without the SDIL. This could be due to an overall reduction in total energy intake.

Researchers concluded that the levy has successfully led to significant reductions in the consumption of free sugars among both children and adults. Although the proportion of energy derived from free sugars did not change significantly relative to the counterfactual, the overall intake of free sugars in the diet declined. This suggests the SDIL has had a positive impact on reducing sugar consumption in the UK.