Obesity and diabetes are on the rise worldwide. In Germany, around half of all adults are now slightly overweight, almost one in five is obese. More than 7% of the German population have diabetes and numbers are rising. Excessive sugar consumption causes illness and is a burden to the public purse: When individuals are too sick to work, health insurance costs increase.

That's why attention has now turned to the impact of sugary beverages. The consumption of soft drinks, colas, energy drinks and the like are seen as a main factor in the rise in obesity worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has long since recommended that such drinks be taxed. Germany's Minister of Education Cem Ozdemir of the Greens, backed by nine of the country's 16 federal states, favors the idea. The states are now calling on Germany's federal government to consider introducing a sugar tax.

According to a November 2023 study by Munich's Technical University, a special tax on sugary drinks could be very effective.

Researchers calculated that the measure could prevent up to 240,000 Type 2 diabetes cases over the next 20 years. It could also help avoid or significantly reduce the likeness of 17,000 to........

© Deutsche Welle