The effects of added and free sugar on public health and the link between rise in non communicable diseases and intake of sugar was the focus of a faith community enlightenment workshop that was organised by the Institute of Church and Society, an arm of the Christian Council of Nigeria with support from the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), last week in Ibadan.
Issues bordering on the effects as well as impacts of non-communicable diseases on religious community, the burden of Sugar- Sweetened Beverages (SSB) and non communicable diseases in Nigeria, benefits of health tax legislation and organising a SSB tax advocacy and charting a course for message dissemination were given attention.
The workshop had in attendance interfaith religious leaders, civil society groups, religious bodies, non governmental bodies and stakeholders from diverse core sectors including the media.
The difference between Added sugar and Free sugar was explained in depth; Free sugars include monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods and beverages by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices, and fruit juice concentrates.
It is said that SSBs are among the leading sources of free sugars, and they contain little-to-no added nutritional value and individuals who consume SSBs do not compensate for the added calories by eating less food, which leads to weight gain and obesity.
There was a call for restriction on sales of SSBs and marketing of sugary foods to children, regulation of trans-fat contents, tobacco control and excise tax.
It was further revealed that studies have shown that SSBs may pose greater health risks, including the risk of metabolic syndrome, compared to sugar-containing solid food. CAPPA emphasised the need for the Federal Government to increase the value of SSB tax from N10 tax a litre to N150 per litre as the previous tax on SSB is not effective nor serving the required purpose of reducing the intake of such products or the risk to public health.
It listed factors such as the tax not being indexed for inflation, its small rate which makes it not to have impact and not being adjusted for inflation from a proper legislative framework as some of the core issues militating against the current policy implementation.
“It was formerly N100 for 50cl around January 2022. It’s currently double the price now and reaching even for more heights at present, adding more pressure on a nation where 133 million poor people out of 200 million people, are struggling to keep head over water with spiralling inflation,” it said.
According to the organisation, all health financing mechanisms in Nigeria are performing at suboptimal levels and resources are not equitably allocated or efficiently used to minimise wastage.
At the end of the workshop, CAPPA made some demands; it asked the Federal Government to create a proper legislative framework that will have a provision that will make it adjustable for inflation and also design a robust framework for the utilisation of the earmarked funds from the SSB tax at the national and sub-national level and monitor the state governments to ensure value for money and adherence to the guidelines.
It further asked the Federal Government to create a process that will ensure that all pro-health taxes are mainly allocated to the health sector, adding that based on research by UNICEF, it has been established that the food and beverage industries always opposed the tax policy on SSB in countries where it had been implemented as they are concerned with their profit maximisation, and use various tactics to evade the tax and resist the process, it therefore asked government to put in place a robust process of informed response to dispel industry myths and arguments through precise and concise framing of messages on SSB tax policy as a public health priority, effective intergovernmental and multisectoral engagement in the implementation of the tax policy.
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