Over the course of a year, the average American consumes 46 gallons of sugar-sweetened beverages - the equivalent of 40 pounds of sugar. That’s a lot of sugar. Liquid sugar. Consequently, it’s no surprise that excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with obesity, and thus diabetes, heart disease and numerous other health problems.

Sugar-sweetened beverages include such calorie-laden refreshments as soda, sports drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened tea and more. Catalyst wants to limit the consumption of these beverages, and thus the consumption of massive amounts of sugar, by promoting what’s called the sugar-sweetened beverage tax. This tax would add an extra penny per ounce to the cost of, you guessed it, sugar-sweetened beverages.

We find the tax beneficial for several reasons. Most importantly, because it will aid in the fight against obesity. We take encouragement from the tobacco taxes implemented across the U.S. Research has shown that taxing cigarettes was one of the most important actions in the fight against smoking. As cigarettes became more expensive, people decreased their consumption. Research has also demonstrated that a sugar-sweetened beverage tax could have a similar effect. So adding a mere 12 cents to the cost of a 12 ounce can of Coke could significantly reduce obesity rates and contribute to the overall good health of Americans.

Catalyst is particularly interested in the adoption of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax because of one of soda’s leading consumers: youth. Sugared beverages are marketed aggressively to children and teens, whose consumption of such beverages accounts for around 10% of their total calorie intake. In addition to packing on unhealthy pounds, drinking sugary beverages has been proven to reduce kids’ intake of a number of important nutrients, such as calcium, iron, folate and vitamin A.

Implementing a tax would be helpful for all Americans. However, studies demonstrate that upping the price of caloric drinks is especially successful in reducing youth consumption. It is also particularly helpful in decreasing consumption in low-income communities.

Additionally, while taxing sugar-sweetened beverages will decrease the amount of pounds among Americans, it will increase something else: money for public health. We at Catalyst think taxing sugary drinks is a win-win solution. It will help Minnesota’s young people drink less caloric soda, and give our state the money it needs to fight for public health --- and with around 60% of the U.S. population obese or overweight, it’s one fight that definitely needs to be won.