Canada obesity up, while soft drinks down

At Zenith’s recent InnoBev Global Soft Drinks Congress in Italy, the President of the International Council of Beverages Associations Jim Goetz presented the most graphic evidence I’ve yet seen, demonstrating why obesity is a much more complex issue than the advocates of soft drinks taxes would have us believe.

He produced a chart for his home country of Canada showing 11 years of overweight and obesity growth by around 40%, while sugar sweetened beverage consumption fell by some 30%.

He also quoted from The New York Times of 12th November 2015 where US campaigner Professor Marion Nestle remarked : “Everybody was hoping that, with the decline in sugar and soda consumption, we’d start seeing a levelling off of adult obesity.”

As I’ve said before … Obesity needs tackling. Properly. Soft drinks have a role to play. Proportionately.