Date

February 9, 2022

Related Links

See Steven Gortmaker's slides See Xavier Morales's slides

On February 9, 2022, NYHealth hosted a webinar with Xavier Morales, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Praxis Project, and Steven Gortmaker, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to discuss the potential impact of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax in New York City.

Nearly 60% of Americans consume more added sugar than experts recommend, which can lead to dietary disease and increased health care costs. Research shows that sugary drink taxes are effective at decreasing the amount of added sugar that people consume, and the seven U.S. jurisdictions that have imposed these taxes generate significant revenue from the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages. Yet, proposals to levy such taxes continue to stoke fierce debate about personal freedom, raising the question whether New York City, typically a leader in food policy, should impose a sugar-sweetened beverage tax.

Dr. Morales, the former chair of the City of Berkeley’s sugar-sweetened beverage tax expert panel, discussed the potential impact on New York City communities, applying lessons learned from his work allocating tax revenue in Berkeley. Dr. Gortmaker discussed research on the potential health care cost impact of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax in New York City.

See the webinar recording here.

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