Shuwen Ng is quoted in a USA Today article about the proposed statewide sugary drink tax in Connecticut, and the article presents an infographic sourced from our maps of sugary drink taxes throughout the world. Connecticut may become the first state in the country to tax sugar-sweetened beverages if Gov. Ned Lamont has his way. […]
Studies showing how food companies work to affect government policies
Barry Popkin is quoted in a New York Times article discussing two recently published studies that show how multinational food companies can affect nutrition and health policies that come from various governments. China’s fitness-is-best message, as it happens, has largely been the handiwork of Coca-Cola and other Western food and beverage giants, according to a […]
Peru enacts Front of Package Warning labels for “junk” foods
The Peruvian government has issued a final Advertising Warnings Manual to require warning labels on packages of and adverts for foods that contain high levels of sugar, saturated fat, and sodium, as well as those containing trans-fat. A letter of congratulations to the Peruvian Government from various top scientists, researchers, and professionals in the areas […]
CPC Fellows Popkin, Ng and Taillie receive funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies to evaluate the implications of policies on food purchasing patterns, diets, and health
The GFRP team has been awarded funding to study food purchasing patterns, diets, and health and how government policies about these can impact human health. The funding is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Work is underway in Mexico and Chile in evaluating major food and nutrition policies, and the team is working with a number of […]
Healthier WIC food package leads to change in food-buying habits
A new study, led by Shu Wen Ng, published online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that changes in the food choices and nutritional content of WIC packages has produced improvements in overall food purchase habits among program participants. The USDA made changes to the WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) […]
GFRP Researchers quoted in Vox article covering success of junk food taxes
An article published January 17, 2018 on Vox highlights the successes of junk food taxes enacted in two countries (Mexico & Hungary), summarizes a recently published AJPH article from NYU & Tufts researchers making the case for a junk food tax, and quotes both Drs. Barry Popkin and Lindsey Smith Taillie on junk food spending […]
Colombia: Study predicts less sugary drink consumption with tax
GFRP researchers predict a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Colombia would lead to a decrease in purchases of those sugary drinks and a move toward healthier food choices in a new study published online December 20 in PLOS One. Juan Carlos Caro and team used data from the Colombia National Income and Expenditures Survey to estimate the price […]
Consumer Reports asks Can ‘Sin Taxes’ Solve America’s Obesity Problem?
A recent article from Consumer Reports, titled “Can ‘Sin Taxes’ Solve America’s Obesity Problem?” reviews recent policy levying taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and junk food, the impact of such taxes in municipalities within America and countries around the world, and quotes Dr. Barry Popkin on the research surrounding these taxes and their effects on intake. While a […]
Study of the first year of Berkeley’s tax on SSBs
Recent research following the first tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in a US city (Berkeley, CA) has found a subsequent decrease in sales. A study titled “Changes in prices, sales, consumer spending, and beverage consumption one year after a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Berkeley, California, US: A before-and-after study” was published online in PLOS Medicine […]
SSB sales fall in Mexico after second year of taxes
Mexico’s peso-per-liter tax on sugar-sweetened beverages enacted in 2014 continues to affect sales of those beverages in the second year of the tax, show results from GFRP research, published in Health Affairs. The impact of the tax is important information about how taxes on foods or beverages affect consumer behavior, especially over a sustained period of […]
The great unsweetening: Mexico’s beverage tax moves the country toward health
Featured in the Fall 2016 Carolina Public Health Magazine from the Gillings School of Global Public Health is the work by Dr. Popkin and Dr. Ng on evaluating the soda tax in Mexico. Five years ago, Mexico led the world in per-capita consumption of Coca-Cola and other sugar-sweetened beverages. Now, it’s consumption rate is stagnant […]
SSB Taxes passed in several municipalities on November 8, 2016
Results from election night show that three California cities in the Bay Area passed a penny-per-ounce tax on sugar sweetened beverages with a majority of votes by their citizens, and Boulder, Colorado passed a 2-cents-per-ounce tax on sugary beverages. Our GFRP Team is collaborating with the Public Health Institute to evaluate the effects of the […]
Evaluation of Mexico’s Tax on Nonessential Energy-Dense Foods shows Decline in Purchases
A new study done with collaboration between Global Food Research Program at UNC & Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health (INSP) has found that after the ‘junk food tax’ was enacted in Mexico in January 2014 household purchases of the taxed food items decreased. There was a 5.1% decrease in amount of taxed foods in […]
Popkin Commentary on Philly.com
A commentary by Professor Barry Popkin was published online by Philly.com (the online site for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News). Dr. Popkin explains how the tax will affect individuals across the income divide, and answers whether the tax will be effectively “regressive”: The beverage industry and the few progressives who align with it call these […]