Starting next November 1, two new healthy taxes will come into force in Colombia. One is ultra-processed sugary drinks and the other is industrially ultra-processed edible products and/or with a high content of added sugars, sodium or saturated fats.
On the side of ultra-processed foods, it calls for paying a tariff of 10 percent in 2023, 15 percent in 2024 and 20 percent from 2025 on products with a high content of added sugars, sodium or saturated fats. Everything from mecato to pre-cooked arepas, cereal bars or meatballs will be taxed. Table chocolate, chocoramo, sausages, chocolate bars, chips, plantains, rosquitas or achiras will not escape taxes either.
Various studies have indicated that ultra-processed foods can cause cardiovascular diseases and are also associated with depression.
In the case of beverages, it establishes that soft drinks, malt-based liquids such as tea, soft drinks, fruit juices and nectars, energizers and flavored waters, among others, pay a tax based on their level of added sugar per every 100 milliliters (ml).
What products will be taxed with healthy taxes?
Products consisting of natural components of milk, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetener, not elsewhere specified or included. Except the arequipe. Sausages and similar products of meat, offal, blood or insects; food preparations based on these products, except salchichón, mortadella and sausage. Other preparations and preserves of meat, offal, blood or insects. Confectionery without cocoa (including white chocolate).
Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa. Mixtures and pastes for the preparation of bakery, pastry or biscuit products. Products based on cereals obtained by puffing or roasting (for example, corn flakes or flakes); cereals (except corn) in grain form or in the form of flakes or other worked grain (except flour, groats or meal), pre-cooked or otherwise prepared, not elsewhere specified or included.
Bakery, pastry or biscuit products, whether or not with the addition of cocoa; hosts, empty seals of the types used for medicines; sealing wafers, dry pastes of flour, starch or starch, in sheets and similar products. Except bread and wafers. Other vegetables prepared or preserved (except by vinegar or acetic acid), not frozen, except products of heading 20.06. Jams, jellies and jams, fruit purees and pastes made of sugar and another sweetener, except guava sandwich. Fruits and other edible parts of plants, otherwise prepared or preserved, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter or alcohol, not elsewhere specified or included.
Preparations for sauces and ready-made sauces; condiments and seasonings, compounds; mustard flour and prepared mustard. Ice cream, even with cocoa. Food preparations not expressed nor comprehended in another place. Vegetables, fruits or other fruits or their peels and other parts of plants, candied with sugar (syruped, glazed or candied).
And various studies have identified that sales of processed foods have increased in the last decade. Specifically for Colombia, it has increased by 27.4% from 2000 to 2013, according to data from the Pan American Health Organization; This increase being proportional to the population growth specifically given in Colombia.
On the other hand, in 2017, ultra-processed food products in general had an annual sales growth rate of 5%, for a value of 11,658 million dollars, according to figures from Euromonitor International.
Furthermore, according to data from the World Health Organization, “industrially processed foods, sugary drinks and fast food are displacing more nutritious traditional diets, generating alarming effects on health.”
However, these types of foods, which in many cases contain excess sodium, sugars, saturated fats and other elements, have been classified by the Ministry of Health as generating Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCCD).
How to create a healthy diet to avoid these taxes and eat healthier?
According to nutritionist Daniela Ovallos, to face these taxes the ideal is to change consumption, especially of snacks and drinks, towards natural foods such as fruits and vegetables. These changes differ depending on whether the diet is for a child or an adult.
In that sense, in the case of adults, to change packaged snacks, the expert proposes slices of fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, celery, apples, tangerines or bananas. In the case of those looking for sour or salty flavors, a good alternative, says Ovallos, is cucumber or green apple with lemon, salt and pepper.
Also, to avoid sugary drinks, in the case of adults it is mainly recommended to change them for water, but for those who need a different flavor in their drinks you can consume water with lemon or with hibiscus flower, the latter also has the advantage of being a diuretic.
For mid-afternoon snacks, options such as egg wraps with lettuce, tuna sandwiches or chicken sandwiches are also an ideal option compared to the consumption of other products with more sugar content.
In the case of children, the expert highlights, the best option is natural fruit juices to change the drinks, but with the clarity that sugars should not be added to these juices. On the other hand, in the case of snacks, they also recommend fruits and vegetables, especially in the case of lunch boxes, to replace packaged foods.
Ovallos also adds that regarding cookie or bakery products (also taxed by the new healthy taxes) the recommendation is to make them at home with oat flour, less sugar and other healthier products.
According to her, while it is true that these taxes can generate more natural diets, it is also true that more incentives are required to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables, in addition to lean proteins (such as meats instead of sausage), given that in many In some cases, these end up being more expensive, which limits people’s access to diets that are better for their health.
“These taxes can help us return to that diet of our grandparents, which was much more homemade and much more natural. But it cannot be done without an economic stimulus so that people can access these foods, because as I told you, vegetables, fruits and proteins are not always very economical, so sometimes they leave people without alternatives,” highlights Ovallos.
EDWIN CAICEDO | HEALTH UNIT