USDA report links soft drinks to obesity, emphasizes taxing
A new report by the US Department of Agriculture has reaffirmed the link between carbonated soft drink consumption and obesity. This puts further pressure on the beverage industry, whose previous strategies have not yielded sufficient results. Furthermore, the USDA report endorses the idea of taxing beverages with high levels of sweeteners that may lead to excess weight. It estimates that a 20% tax on sweetened beverages could result in "savings" of 38 calories per day for the average American, adding up to 3.8lbs (2kg) weight reduction per year. Experts say that even though the reduction in caloric intake from such an initiative would be relatively small, it may lead to a change in consumer behavior with long-term effects on health and medical bills.