Supervisor: Associate Professor Felicitas Evangelista; Dr Aila Khan School/Institute: School of Business
Over the past 50 years, consumption of sugar has tripled worldwide (Lustig, Schmidt and Brindis 2012). Sugar consumption is linked to a rise in non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes), which the United Nations has now declared as posing a greater health burden worldwide than infectious diseases. There are three central risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases – tobacco, alcohol and diet. While tobacco and alcohol have been successfully regulated by many governments around the world, controlling people’s diet (or food) is more complicated and there have been no easy solutions.
Experts agree that similar to tobacco and alcohol, sugar has clear potential for abuse. Similar to the other two, sugar acts on the brain to encourage subsequent intake. There are a number of studies which have examined the dependence-producing properties of sugar in humans (e.g. Garber and Lustig 2011). Sugar dampens the suppression of a hormone which signals hunger to the brain. It also interferes with the normal signaling of the hormone leptin which helps to produce the feeling of satiety. Moreover, it reduces dopamine signaling in the brain’s reward center, thereby decreasing the pleasure derived from food, compelling the individual to consume more (Lustig 2010).
The link between ‘added sugar’ intake and negative health outcomes is widely recognized. This link is explained in two major ways: First, greater sugar consumption leads to an increased energy intake which is associated with weight gain, diabetes and dental decay. Second, consumption of higher levels of added sugars as a percentage of energy is usually accompanied with a lower intake of vitamins and minerals (Lewis et al. 1992). Intakes of calcium, a nutrient currently viewed as a particular health concern were especially low. Thus, a sugar-laden diet may also cause health problems due to the accompanying issue of a low-quality diet.
In view of health concerns associated with high sugar intake, recommendations have been made to industries to take steps to reduce the amount of sugar in processed foods (Barclay et al. 2008). This is in response to the now-accepted view that any societal intervention for reducing sugar consumption will not be successful without active engagement of all stakeholders. However, this task poses a major challenge for businesses, and their consumers. First, in some parts of the world, sugary soft drinks are often cheaper than potable water or milk. Also, consumers like the taste of sugar as research across all age groups demonstrates that consumers generally prefer foods with higher concentration of sucrose. Finally, the biggest challenge for businesses is to invest in reformulating their brands with less sugar, while also maintaining their market share (Chollet et al. 2013) and revenues.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are one of the main contributors to increased intake of ‘added sugar’. In Australia, almost half of kids aged between 2 and 16 years consume a sugar-sweetened beverage everyday (ABS 2016). According to Diabetes Australia (2016) this could mean an additional weight gain of more than 6kg per person in one year. In view of these alarming statistics, different health bodies have strongly recommended the implementation of sugar tax, which would result in a higher price for the sugar-sweetened beverage products (ABC News 2016). It is argued that a higher price would influence public’s behaviour towards sugar consumption. Up till now, such a suggestion of an added tax is not supported by any of two major political parties.
The current project’s main aim is to motivate consumers to undertake ‘behaviour-change’ by encouraging them to move away from sugary soft drinks and adopt a sugar-free option. There are a number of behavioural change theories which attempt to explain the process. The most frequently cited theories include learning theories, self-efficacy theory, and theories of reasoned action and planned behaviour. Learning theories propose that complex behaviour is learnt gradually through the modification of simpler behaviours. Imitation and reinforcement play important roles in these theories which state that individuals learn by duplicating behaviours they observe in others. ‘Rewards’ are essential to ensure a repetition of the desirable behaviour.