A stunted population means a stunted economy. It is a fact that food justice and economic development go hand in hand. The unbelievable cost of healthcare imposed by the upsurge of non-communicable diseases has a detrimental effect on our already struggling economy. And it is about to get worse. According to the Global Obesity Observatory, …
A cursory walk around the supermarket shows that South African shops are inundated with pre-packaged foods that are processed with high levels of added sugars, salt, and saturated fats. South African’s who want to make better health choices are thwarted by incomprehensible and food labels. Nutrition illiteracy and the availability of these foods is wreaking …
STATEMENT: We can’t rely on food and beverage industry to safeguard our health Read More »
16 May 2022 For interviews, contact: Nzama Mbalati, HEALA 082 734 5414 Nzama@heala.org 16 May 2022 Treasury’s postponement of a planned 4.5% increase to the health promotion levy, announced in the 2022 Budget, raises concerns about who calls the shots on the country’s national economic and health policy. The increase, initially announced to go into …
Submission to Standing Committee on Appropriations 1. Background Introduced in 2018, the Health Promotion Levy (HPL) is a tax designed to precisely target the sugar content added to sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) beyond acceptable thresholds. This lowers overall sugar consumption via SSBs through incentivising companies towards reformulating their products and affecting a reduction in demand …
South Africa implemented its Health Promotion Levy, or HPL, in April of 2018. The HPL is a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax of approximately 11%, based on sugar content. Initial research on the price impact of the HPL has shown prices increased commensurate with the tax for taxed beverages but did not change for non-taxable beverages …