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THIS WEEK, THE government announced plans for a long-mooted sugar tax.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said there will be a tax of 30c per litre on sweetened drinks with over eight grams of sugar per 100 millilitres.
That means that many drinks including Coke, 7UP, Pepsi, Monster and Red Bull will go up by the full 30 cent per litre.
A can of Coke will go up ten cent.
But drinks companies are already planning for the tax and for increased scrutiny of sugar intake around the world.
Lucozade, a product known for more or less being nothing but sugars and sweeteners, has recently removed 50% of its sugar.
Its manufacturers say it and Ribena are changing.
“All existing and new added sugar drinks will be reformulated to contain no more than than 4.5g of total sugar per 100ml
“All Ribena Flavours are now No Added Sugar (Strawberry, Pineapple and Pasion fruit & Mango and lime). They all contain 15 cal per 250ml serve on front of bottle. Blackcurrant flavour (500ml & 250ml) will change to new formulation in August.
“We wanted to reduce the sugar due to changes in consumer preference but before we made the decision to do this we tested the new formulas against the old formulas with heavy consumers of our products.”
In the US, industry giant Coca Cola has responded to dipping sales with a revamped Coke Zero.
The launch comes at a time when more cities around the US have enacted, or are weighing, soda taxes.
Coca-Cola announced the plan as it reported a 60% drop in second-quarter profits to $1.4 billion and a 16% decline in revenues to $9.7 billion. Both were hit by the company’s move to offload bottling assets in North America as it leans away from its traditional soda offerings.
Stuart Kronauge, senior vice president of marketing, said the soda giant plans marketing across social media, television, radio and retail around the US launch.
“We’re changing the name to Coca-Cola Zero Sugar to be as clear and descriptive as possible about the product and the promise that it delivers great Coca-Cola taste without sugar,” Kronauge said in a blog post.
The drink uses aspartame and acesulfame potassium — otherwise knows as “ace-K” — as low-calorie sugar substitutes, according to the company website.
Kevin Donnelly, Managing Director Britvic Ireland, which makes Club, Mi Wadi and TK, said that his company’s products are mostly low or no sugar. He added that indigenous drinks makes shouldn’t be disadvantaged by the tax.
“It is essential that the Department of Finance and Revenue engages with the industry to ensure that Republic of Ireland manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, publicans and foodservice operators are not disadvantaged versus imported product, especially in an environment of weakening Sterling.
“Given the implementation timeline is less than half that afforded to the industry in the UK, early engagement on this matter is crucial.”
Youth Work Ireland, however, called the decision “overdue”.
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My local convenience story is openly selling 1kg bags of pure sugar. They don’t even hide them behind the counter where kids can’t see them.
@Neal Ireland Hello.: its only lunchtime….but that’s my “comment of the day”…lol
@Neal Ireland Hello.: I liked this one! Probably the only actually true statement made in the comments’ section! (except for the issues that type 1 diabetics are encountering)
@JIMBO BUCKLEY: so not the “only actually true statement”
Aspartame? Yeah because that’s soooo much healthier !!! Not !!! Exchange sugar for poision. I’m glad I don’t drink any of that stuff anymore !!!
@Catherine Sims: Has the EU not commissioned and completed another study to dispell all this shite around aspertame?
@Catherine Sims: they tried recently to rebrand aspartame as amino sweet. Didn’t work. But it was amusing. Even they know it’s terrible
@Catherine Sims: there’s more aspartame in a tomato than in a bottle of coca cola and you wouldn’t worry about eating a tomato. Thousands of peer reviewed studies show aspartame is harmless. I’m guessing your also part of the anti vax movement to.
@Michael Geraghty: Absolutely pro vax. I would like to see all these thousands of studies but at the moment I’ll settle for for a few so please post them. Now please make sure these studies are completely independent. I know how these studies work as I was with a research foundation for a while. So I await these studies please.
@Catherine Sims: go Google yourself and don’t be so lazy.
@Catherine Sims: Drinks with Aspartame, Acesulfame and Sucralose all leave a nasty chemical-ly aftertaste for me… I can’t stand them.
@MaryLoonyMcDonald: I see you don’t understand. I won’t be googling because I don’t need more Information but if someone wants to convince me otherwise then they can feel free to post links. I on the other hand am not bothered about convincing anyone about anything. So does this clear things up for you sweety ?
@Catherine Sims: would you waste your time trying to convince an anti vaxxer? No because its hopeless. You’ve made your mind up and frankly your letting your intelligence down on this one. I’m not baby stepping you through research you can do yourself. For peer reviewed articles, try Google scholar and not YouTube. Come back to me when have
@Michael Geraghty: Not to mention that sugar has so many real and proven harmful effects compared to the ones you are imagining: Type 2 diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, gum disease, increased risk of heart disease, cancer, childhood and adult obesity, fatty liver, behavioral changes in children, impaired cognition…etc. etc.
@Michael Geraghty: Sorry, comment was for Catherine
@Michael Geraghty: That so called fact that there’s more aspartame in a tomato is absolutely rubbish. As for the processed chemical itself that even rats wont eat, it has dire effects on my body. Most genuinely independent studies on the effects of the chemical have been hit by legal action when they published the results. I posted a blog page on my problem and got a legal warning. Its not easy to stand up against this substance anywhere.
@Bilbo Baggins: it doesn’t matter really cause at the end of the day the companies will take out the sugar and put other more harmful crap in in its place. And then it will take another 50 years for them to realise that the ingredients are a ‘tad’ harmful
@Catherine Sims: fine I’ll play your game here’s a video from a health science research and docotr with numerous sources cited for various artificial sweeteners including aspartame https://youtu.be/Mf82FfX-wuU
@Michael Geraghty: There is no Aspartame in a tomato. There is methanol, an ingriedient found in both, but not aspartame. Methanol is a form of alcohol incase you were wondering.
For being so agressive and claiming that others should reference google scholar you yourself do not back up the ‘facts’ you throw out which turn out not to be true.
Maybe live by what you say, Mr Hypocrite.
And dont get so angry.
@Catherine Sims: looking at your post would suggest otherwise…lol..
Coke isn’t the reason people are obese. If it was I’d be the size off a cargo ship by now.
@Roy Dowling: on a hot summer day is there anything better than poping open an ice cold coke???I gotta admit to ALWAYS having a can or two in the fridge…..but under the nanny state I’m to be taxed for the privilege. …..whatever happened to personal responsibility? ????
@Roy Dowling: and putting the tax on the company just shows it has nothing to do with targeting the consumer. Coca cola can easily take the hit and not drop prices. It should of been directly on the consumer
@Michael Geraghty: Bizarre! I’ve heard other people whining because the tax is on the consumer and not the company.
The reality, of course, is that those are exactly the same thing. The tax is part of the price that the consumer pays to the retailer, who pays it to the wholesaler, who pays it to the manufacturer, who pays it to the state.
@Derek Walsh: yeah it’s the company that has the burden. I think it would be better served on the consumer, like the plastic bag levy. That literally cut millions of plastic bags over night.
@Roy Dowling: nope its certainly not coke.but its sugar and portion sizes for sure
@Roy Dowling: Smoking can’t possibly cause cancer.
If I’d did I’d be dead.
What’s that?
Extrapolation of effects based on one case is utter stupidity? The plural of anecdote isn’t data? Something can be a contributory factor but not a main one?
@Frank Dubogovik:
Because regulation in moderation is a key foundation of civilisation.
nothing to do with sugar…it’s all about broadening our tax base, and enriching the companies who make artificial sweeteners….. follow the money !
Hospital lists like the third world, homelessness at it highest , suicides and this government fiddle about with stuff like this. People know sugar is bad for them.
@Gus Sheridan: that’s the issue, people don’t know what is bad for them
@Hughiealonso: Not clear how a tax is going to cure that issue. So far on this page it’s just led to a load of proplr arguing over whether or not aspertaine is dangerous.
Watch the tax on a tax – like excise duty, sugar tax of 30c will go on the base cost of the drink, but then at the point of sale, VAT of 23% will be added which makes your 30c into 37c per litre. This will be the real cost to the consumer.
@Tim O Donoghue: so stop consuming.
Cola is happiness. Why tax happiness?
Lucozade used to be good for diabetes to up their sugars. The new version is no good for that but not all diabetes know about the change.
@Sandra Turner: it’s not medicine. It’s not made for diabetics. .
@Michael Geraghty: nope but there needs to be a lot of promotional work done by diabetic services as the amount of sugar in drinks reduces.
@Sandra Turner: to be fair Sandra, the hospitals made sure to inform diabetics on the changes as they’re the ones who would have always recommended the product. Diabetes Ireland also had a big campaign informing people. It was also reported by newspapers albeit mostly the English ones as the tax was looming there before here. There was plenty of info given out, it was all over Facebook too as diabetics informed each other. As did those who enjoyed it as a “hangover cure!”
What good is lucozade now for a hangover.
@Mick Power: try been a type 1 diabetic! I only used to need 150mls of lucozade, now I need 300mls to bring up a low sugar! 300mls of lucozade in one go! Back to the aul ways of a sweet tea instead. Ah well.
@Mick Power: none whatsoever. Even the taste is different and not in a good way!
It has also impacted the Diabetic community who have used Lucozade as a “ medicine” as such, to bring up dangerously low blood glucose levels fast.
Big mistake imo by Lucozade, as I believe people would have paid the extra monies to be guaranteed that crucial rise in bg levels. It’s now rendered useless.
Now we’re trying to source an alternative suitable liquid and everything is reduced sugar making it very difficult. If Lucozade had any sense, they should have worked out some sort of a deal, maybe on medicinal grounds to keep the original product. I would definitely have paid the extra to be guaranteed it would work for diabetics.
@selfsustainable: it’s always handy to keep a few of the little juice cartons (apple, orange etc.) with you. They would contain approx 12g of carbs in them. It’s not always the case as you would know, that you can make a cup of tea depending on where you are. Plus the fact that it can be difficult to give a child a drink like tea as they mightn’t like it or refuse to drink it. It’s become a nightmare to find something suitable as the old Lucozade was perfect for the job. Now it’s double the amount of a rotten tasting drink as you’ve stated!
@Julz: had type 1 for 30 years. Lucozade saved my life on many occasions. Now using glucose sweets but lament lucozades decision to reduce the sugar. Very bad move by them from a diabetic standpoint.
@Red4fred: absolute disaster from our point of view. We also use the glucose tabs but the lucozade was definitely the fastest method. It’s not always easy to get a child in a hypo to chew on anything let alone 4 chalky sweets.
@selfsustainable: Same problem here. Jelly babies are good – much better than trying to crunch through dextrose or lucozade sweets/tablets.
They will be taxing “fat” people next. Weighing over 9stone pay more at the till.
Quick question… The local shop has put up the price of fizzys already! But what about the diet and zero versions of the fizzys? How come their going up in price if they have “zero” sugar??
@stephen mc galey: That increase is probably nothing to do with the sugar tax, which hasnt come in yet.
@stephen mc galey: Tax not to be implemented until April. Shop is just ripping you off…
This is a tax against the poorest in our society. Or at least it will be when the lefties cop it.
hang on the reason i drink many of these drinks is not for flavour but for the sugar for energy. Just drink less, too much of anything is bad for you !
Added or enhanced sucrose, dextrose, fructose and glucose are damaging to public health and not just in terms of adding to obesity.
Yeah… remove or reduce sugar.. still increase product price…. whatever !!!
Great.
So lets all consume wayyyy more aspartame, the neurotoxin, as we try and avoid sugar tax.
@Cram Wood: we eat too much meat btw
Coke and Pepsi will always find away around these things.. like they all bought up the fruit and orange juice companies years ago when fizzy drinks were deemed unhealthy. If you can’t beat them, join them.. or buy them out..
Lucozade have helped me cut back on my sugar, by cutting 50% of the sugar in their drink it now tastes like muck so I drink coke instead
I sweeten all my drinks with bee tears these days..tears of joy,mind..I care!
Im sure theres enough peeps on here to remeber the movie spaceballs. Perriair will be on the shelves soon
I don’t drink that crap so no loss to me
@Scorpionvenomm: don’t you worry I’m alright Jack we’ve never had it so good. There’s plenty of grouse in the country house we’re eating as we should…
Britvik have already changed 7up. Removed sugar and increased sweeteners in it. It’s ruined now. Tastes worst than Sprite.
sugar is a killer
Yes. They’ve stockpiled the rubbish awaiting this tax to make a killing
Kevin Donnelly doesn’t seem to understand EU law.
have your say