New research shows that taxing certain foods may positively impact our well-being.

In late 2024, University of Washington researchers revealed that taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages—commonly called "the soda tax"—are successful in discouraging people from purchasing sugar-laden drinks, such as soft drinks, sports beverages, and fruit juices.

For the last decade, eight cities across the United States have implemented taxes on drinks that contain added sugar. The reason was to help thwart rising cases of type 2 diabetes and obesity and spread awareness of sugar consumption. These governmental efforts are part of a growing policy response to encourage better health choices nationwide. Berkeley, California was the first city to launch the sugar-sweetened beverage tax in 2014, and other cities quickly followed.

The University of Washington's recent research shows that imposing these types of taxes may have a good outcome. Researchers tracked the purchasing behavior of 400 households in San Francisco, Seattle, Oakland, and Philadelphia for one year before and after the soda tax went into effect in each of the households' home cities. The study revealed that the households in the taxed cities reduced "their purchases of those beverages, with no evidence of cross-border shopping."

Melissa Knox, one of the lead researchers in the study, shed light on how the tax seems to impact lower-income households, as those in lower-income brackets tend to purchase and consume sugary beverages at a higher rate than average. "They're using some of their money to go buy a different beverage, rather than buying a candy bar instead of buying a Coke," said Knox. Study co-author Jessica Jones-Smith added that the research suggests the tax has "the intended health benefits."

What this suggests is compelling: People need reminders that so many foods readily available on the shelves can harm our health. It's fascinating, given how the United States is a frustrating case study when it comes to caring for our well-being. Our country heavily regulates, from enforcement in our workplaces to our schools and beyond, but laws around what can go into our foods and personal care products are lax—and very lax when compared to other countries.

(Take Brominated Vegetable Oil. The EU banned this gross additive in 2008, yet it still finds a place in foods here in the US.)

So, in a world where it feels like the bigger forces are against our well-being, implementations like the soda tax give us hope.

We'd love to know your thoughts on the sugary beverage taxes. Are you for or against them?