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COMMENTARY | According to a Fox News Report, Sugar Should Be Regulated As Toxin, Researchers Say, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, believe sugar to be extremely toxic to the body and propose that sugar be regulated as a toxin. Furthermore, they are proposing that all foods and drinks including added sugar be taxed. The researchers also want to impose age limitations on food purchases and ban sales near public schools.
I know that excessive sugar intake can be detrimental to my health, but I am not sure I am willing to pay more just to have a spoonful of sugar in my coffee or to drink “sweet tea.” Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn’t this seem to be a bit of overkill on the part of researchers?
Sure, I know – I would probably be much healthier and maybe even lose a little weight if I gave up sugar, but I am not crazy about sugar being regulated as a toxic substance. This also makes some “alarms” sound in my head. What will the researchers deem as toxic and off-limits next? Imagine the shock and dismay of millions of Americans who will no longer be able to buy a pack of M&Ms or Ding-dongs out of the vending machine because they are now controlled substances? I am thinking this will never fly. While I think it is a good idea to regulate sugar intake, I do not want the government dictating what I can and cannot consume.
Economists at Iowa State University want to take another approach to curb sugar intake by Americans. They propose taxing sugar at the manufacturer’s level, giving them an incentive to add less sugar to their products. To me, this makes a lot more sense than depriving me of my candy bar from the vending machine or forbidding a seventeen-year-old from purchasing a Coca-cola.