The danger is that by 2030 the whole country will have 2 million overweight and obese children.

According to the latest statistics from the General Statistics Office, in Vietnam, the number of people from 5 to 17 years old is 20.6 million, accounting for 20.6% of the total national population.

According to experts, the use of sugary drinks is a direct cause of obesity, especially in children, and thereby causes cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, so applying solutions to limit the use of sugary drinks is a feasible and scientific solution to control and prevent diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, overweight and obesity.

Vietnam is the second country in the world to sign the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), by 2030 the country will have 2 million overweight and obese children.

Regular use of sugary drinks: Risk of many diseases

Consumption of sugary drinks in Vietnam is increasing alarmingly, with total annual consumption doubling in the past decade (2013-2023), from 3.44 billion liters to 6.67 billion liters - posing many potential risks to public health.

According to information from the Ministry of Health , along with the doubling of sugary drink consumption in Vietnam, in the past 10 years, the rate of overweight and obesity in school children aged 5-19 has also doubled, from 8.5% in 2010 to 19% in 2020 and in adults, the rate of overweight and obesity has increased by 30% in 6 years, from 15.6% in 2015 to 19.6% in 2020. This also shows a direct link between the use of sugary drinks and obesity and causes cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

A comprehensive study on overweight and obesity and risk factors of overweight and obesity in Vietnam shows that soft drink consumption is a risk factor for overweight and obesity and requires intervention to reduce consumption.

According to forecasts by Euromonitor Market Research Group (UK), without effective control measures, sugary beverage consumption in Vietnam will continue to increase by an average of 6.4% per year from 2023 to 2028, equivalent to a total increase of 36.6% in the next 5 years, increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases such as overweight, obesity and diabetes.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), not only in Vietnam, research in 75 countries around the world also shows that for every 1% increase in sugary drink consumption, there are 4.8% more overweight adults, 2.3% more obese adults, and 0.3% more people with diabetes. Consuming sugary drinks increases the risk of obesity by 18%, increases the risk of high blood pressure by 12%, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 29%, and increases the risk of metabolic syndrome by 29%.

The World Health Organization has concluded that regular consumption of sugary drinks increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, tooth decay, osteoporosis, and overweight and obesity, and potentially leads to an increased risk of other non-communicable diseases, including cancer.

According to WHO, in this situation, implementing measures to control the consumption of sugary drinks is urgent to protect public health, especially children and adolescents. One of the proposed effective solutions is to apply excise tax on sugary drinks, to curb the trend of overconsumption and reduce the amount of sugar absorbed in the population.

Apply measures synchronously

According to information from the Ministry of Health, in Vietnam, according to 2019 estimates, the economic loss due to overweight and obesity alone was 3.69 billion USD, accounting for 1.1% of GDP, not to mention the cost of other related non-communicable diseases. By 2060, these indicators are forecast to increase to 103.1 billion USD, accounting for 2.8% of GDP; meaning the total cost will increase 28 times. Imposing a strong enough tax on sugary drinks/soft drinks will contribute to reducing tooth decay, obesity and diabetes and preventing other non-communicable diseases.

According to research results from the University of Public Health, if a tax is imposed to increase the retail price of sugary drinks by 20% as recommended by WHO, the rate of overweight and obesity in Vietnam could decrease by 2.1% and 1.5% respectively, preventing 80,000 cases of diabetes, saving the health system nearly 800 billion VND.

Imposing a sugary beverage tax on soft drinks with sugar >5g/100ml does not mean banning the use of this product, but only has the effect of guiding consumers to choose healthier products, so soft drink production will not decrease and will even continue to increase when businesses flexibly convert to increasingly diversify their products.

Imposing special consumption tax on sugary drinks is a common trend of the times, very popular globally with at least 108 countries applying it, including 6 countries in the ASEAN region, including Laos, Cambodia...

Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee Phan Van Mai. (Photo: An Dang/VNA)

In the presentation of the Report on explanation, acceptance and revision of the draft Law on Special Consumption Tax amended at the discussion session, Mr. Phan Van Mai - Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee said that the proposal to add sugary soft drinks to the list of those subject to special consumption tax is "the first step in the process of implementing solutions to limit the production and consumption of products with a lot of sugar in food and beverages, contributing to the orientation of production and consumption" because this is one of the main causes of overweight, obesity and non-communicable diseases related to diet.

According to Mr. Mai, the addition of sugary soft drinks to the list of special consumption tax aims to institutionalize the Party and State's policy on protecting people's health, recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Health. The proposal to impose tax on sugary soft drinks is an initial proposal in the process of implementing solutions to limit the production and consumption of products containing a lot of sugar in food and beverages.

To limit the consumption and use of sugary drinks, the World Health Organization emphasizes that countries need to apply synchronous measures: tax on sugary drinks, widespread communication about the harmful effects of regular consumption of this type of drink and limit advertising, school meal policy, front-facing nutrition labels, limit advertising of sugary drinks especially to children... in which tax is a highly effective and low-cost measure.

Based on scientific evidence, the World Health Organization has recommended that to reduce sugar consumption from sugary drinks at a level sufficiently strong enough to prevent obesity and related health problems, the tax on sugary drinks needs to ensure an increase in retail prices of at least 20%./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/moi-nguy-khi-den-nam-2030-ca-nuoc-se-co-2-trieu-tre-em-thua-can-beo-phi-post1043189.vnp