The controversey swirling around a soda tax really boils down to a simple question - will it help to curb purchase of the drink or impose extra cost with no real benefit or health payoff? Experts have sourced soda as one of the many foods that are contributing to an untenable obesity epidemic, among children and adults. And no doubt, along with trans fat, an excess of processed foods and snacks, high sodium foods, other sugary beverages, soda is indeed a daily part of most American diets. I've even witnessed babies getting soda in their bottles or sippy cups....parents, is that really necessary or a healthy way too feed your child?? The reality is that soda is far more an insidious evil than most of us realize.
Dentists say that the leading chronic childhood disease is tooth decay. Of course, many of the kids who suffer from this condition are poor children, underserved by dental health opportunities. But drinking soda daily - and most kids do by age 5 - can cause mouth decay across economic lines. So maybe we need a soda tax and a really good health campaign that hammers home the reality that soda can contribute to obesity and dental decay. I have a feeling that a 1-2 health punch message may, along with added cost in the form of a tax, curb the love affair we are allowing our kids and ourselves to have with "liquid candy."
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