The Ministry of Health revived the discussion about the introduction of a new tax on sweetened beverages such as Fanta, Coca Cola, Kofola, Red Bull, which operates in more than ten European countries. The aim of these measures is to limit the consumption of sugary drinks and their negative impact on public health. Is the Czech Republic also joining this trend?
Veronika Jakubcov, editor of the Union of Non-Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturers, has a clear vision: Absolutely not, we consider it discriminatory. Sugar is not only found in these compounds.
Veronika Jakubcov, member of the Association of Non-Alcoholic Beverages in the debates.
Jakubcov bristled, pointing to the ir context of sugar consumption: I see it as the sugar intake is complex. We can’t separate cookies, gummy bears from non-alcoholic drinks. It’s about me consumption. With this, she wanted to emphasize that the problem of obesity and health complications cannot be reduced only to the sweetening of the drink.
Drtinov’s bag was adamant and pointed to the specific risk that sweetened drinks represent: But we must realize that these drinks are often consumed in large quantities, which represents a known health risk, even if people are physically active. The WHO clearly recommends the introduction of a tax as another way to reduce their consumption.
The debate focused on the new WHO report, which recommends the introduction of a special tax on sweetened beverages due to their negative impact on public health, in particular due to the risk of obesity. Jakubcov tried to downplay this at first, claiming that obesity is the result of an imbalance between intake and intake of calories, and that regular exercise can eliminate the negative effects of sugary drinks.
Vak Drtinov, armed with data from the British biobank, countered that even with regular exercise, sweetened drinks have a negative effect on health, especially those with cardiovascular diseases. Thanks to the evidence, it is clear that the consumption of sugary drinks is a health problem in itself, and it does not depend on how often a person exercises, Drtinov got drunk.
This confrontation showed that arguments based on solid data can lead to misconceptions and often repeated myths. Drtinov, with her ability to inject concrete and scientifically based information into the debate, managed to dominate the conversation and enthusiastically dissected Jakubcov’s attempts to trivialize the effect of sugar on health.
The whole situation thus showed that even when the non-alcoholic beverage industry often has strong arguments for the protection of its animals, it is impossible to ignore scientific evidence about the toxicity of some products.
In this interview, Drtinov smeared Mr. Jakubcová on her bread, pointing out the necessity of precautions that could help protect public health from the negative consequences of sugary drinks.
