Cut-price sugar will come at a cost

The British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) has voiced its concern in light of news that the EU is phasing out protections that have, until now, kept commodity prices high and prevented foreign imports.

It’s forecast that the relaxing of the rules will lead to the wholesale price of sugar dropping substantially, the trebling in production of high fructose corn syrup, and the production of sugars increasing by around 15 per cent within a decade.

The European Common Agricultural Policy reforms in 2013 will, the report’s authors say, almost fully liberalise the sugar market in Europe by 2017 and this, in turn, may increase sugar consumption, particularly among the lowest socioeconomic groups.

Public health will take a hit, they say, “especially as the cheaper cost of sugar will make it even more profitable to add it to processed foods to increase palatability and bulking”.

The authors also foresee more aggressive marketing of foods high in sugar because “these foods will be very profitable – potentially even more so than currently”.