Alison Watkins, the group managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil, argued against a sugar tax, emphasising that despite a fall in the consumption of added sugars since 1995, obesity rates continued to rise. But Ms Watkins's claim is spin. Yes, the consumption of added sugar, particularly of carbonated drinks, has fallen since the mid-1990s. Meanwhile, obesity rates have indeed continued to rise. But this is not the full story. In attempting to put the case against a sugar tax, Ms Watkins paints an incomplete picture of the link between sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity, ignoring the weight of scientific evidence. Authoritative research shows a consistent association between a high intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and obesity. Ms Watkins refers to the fact that just 2 per cent of the average Australian's kilojoule intake comes from soft drinks. But "soft drinks" refers only to carbonated drinks, not the full gamut of available sugar-sweetened beverages, including sports drinks, iced teas and fruit juices. Anna Peeters, an expert in obesity and nutrition at Deakin University, told RMIT ABC Fact Check that to be able to explain divergent trends in sugar consumption and obesity rates it was necessary to consider consumption patterns among groups of people, as well as the population as a whole. This was because overall averages could mask increased consumption of sugary drinks among a particular group, which could be underpinning a rise in obesity.
Verdict: Spin