GERMANY: "Very critically examined!" Soda tax? Expert reveals! How dangerous soft drinks are!
Nine federal states are calling for a tax on sugary soft drinks in Germany. They are asking the federal government to examine a "manufacturer-related tax" on such drinks, as can be seen from the minutes of the most recent consumer protection ministers' conference. Despite voluntary commitments and promises from the industry in Germany, the average sugar content of soft drinks has not fallen in recent years to the extent that would be necessary for a healthy diet, it says.
The "Bild" newspaper was the first to report on the states' demands on Tuesday. The Consumer Protection Ministers' Conference, chaired by Bavaria, met in Regensburg last week. The nine states calling for a tax on soft drinks are Brandenburg, Hamburg, Bremen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony and Thuringia.
Last year, Food Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) also spoke out in favor of introducing a sugar tax on drinks based on the British model. However, this is currently not feasible due to resistance from a "small and very financially strong lobby" and the FDP within the traffic light coalition, he told "Spiegel" in September.
In the UK, an additional levy has been levied on drinks since 2018, based on the amount of added sugar. Özdemir praised this approach: Although British consumers' consumption of drinks has not decreased as a result, manufacturers have reduced the sugar content of their products, he told the magazine.
According to a study published in early 2023 by the German Alliance for Non-Communicable Diseases (DANK), the average sugar content of soft drinks in Germany fell by around two percent between 2015 and 2021. However, in 2018 the beverage industry voluntarily committed to reducing the sales-weighted sugar content of soft drinks by 15 percent between 2015 and 2025.
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Video created in 2024