Soda industry playbook on display in South Africa's sugar tax battle

Over the past decades, South Africa has experienced soaring rates of obesity and the non-communicable diseases it contributes to, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Health experts blame that rise, in part, on an overconsumption of sugar. Sweetened beverages are a prime delivery mechanism.
Models show that in the long run, sugar taxes can bring down obesity rates.
While public health experts celebrated the adoption of the levy in South Africa, their enthusiasm was tempered by a fierce fight that led to a weaker law than they wanted, and are concerned by recent signs that the country’s powerful sweetened-beverage manufacturers are trying to undermine it.