Testimony of Dwayne Wharton, Director of External Affairs, The Food Trust
City of Philadelphia Budget Hearing Public Testimony
April 19, 2016
My name is Dwayne Wharton, Director of External Affairs with The Food Trust, a non-profit public health
organization working to help build healthier communities. I am here today to voice support for Mayor
Kenney's proposed 3-cents-an-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Hands down, Philadelphia is the greatest city in the nation. But, Philadelphia is also one of the poorest, most
obese and most diabetic cities in the nation as well. Approximately one-third of our citizens live below the
poverty line, and being poor is one of the leading contributors to poor health. Almost seven out of 10 adults and
four out of 10 children are overweight or obese. In addition, almost two out of 10 adults have diabetes. With
problems like these, you have to be creative, be intentional and have strong resolve to solve them. The mayor is
right to put the target on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). This tax would be a means to pay for universal
pre-K, an investment in our children which could help lift an entire generation out of poverty. It would also be
part of a comprehensive strategy to curb the consumption of SSBs, encourage consumers to make healthier
beverage choices and reduce the obesity and diabetes epidemic.
Young adults, nonwhites and low-income people drink more SSBs than other Americans. Despite promises by
major beverage companies to be part of the solution in addressing childhood obesity, the beverage industry
spent $866 million in 2014 to advertise SSBs, with much of the predatory marketing disproportionately targeted
towards Black and Hispanic children and teens. During this period, they spent four times as much advertising
to SSBs compared to water or 100% juice.
It should be no surprise that more than any other food or beverage, SSBs make up 46% of our daily added sugar
intake and are a major source of calories in our diets. SSBs have little, if any, nutritional value, and strong
research shows that they are a major contributor to a host of poor health outcomes such as obesity and diabetes,
weight gain as well as cardiovascular disease. The bottom line, most public health experts agree that SSBs
contribute to the epidemic of diabetes and obesity in America today.
The beverage lobby has been incredibly effective in beating back a tax on SSBs, not just twice here in
Philadelphia, but also in dozens of communities all around the country each time such a measure is introduced.
I can’t go to a movie, turn on the TV, browse the internet or listen to the radio without being subjected to the
message that this is a “grocery tax” and an attack on “the kinds of drinks we buy for our families”. I’m not sure
who the “we” is supposed to be given these advertisements are paid for by the American Beverage Association,
but I do recognize that there are grave concerns over the impact to small businesses and potential job losses, as
well as the perceived targeting of low-income people.
First, researchers have found that there would be no economic harm to small stores since people would not
travel outside of the city to purchase drinks. A good number of people would simply choose an alternative nontaxed beverage. In addition, since 2008, The Food Trust has partnered with the Philadelphia Health Department
and corner store operators to help hundreds of stores stock and sell healthier products. These stores offer
healthy alternatives to SSBs like water and 100% fruit juice, which would remain tax free and actually be good
for you.
The concern that the tax is regressive and targets the poor and people of color should not be taken lightly, but
here are the real facts: Black youths saw twice as many ads for SSBs compared to white youths in 2013. 47
percent of Blacks consume at least one sugary beverage a day, with 18 percent consuming between one and two
a day and about 17 percent consuming more than two a day. In turn, African-American adults are 80 percent
more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes and twice as likely to die from the disease. It is the
beverage industry that has unfairly targeted African-Americans.
It is not a grocery tax. It is not a racial or cultural attack. It is not an attack on the poor. It is a tax on a product
that is killing black, brown and poor people disproportionately. We support it because the raised revenue from
the tax would cover much-needed services for the poor while simultaneously fighting obesity and diabetes.
Those beverage association ads implore us to do the math and make our voices heard because “we can’t afford
the tax.” What we really can’t afford is to do nothing. I have done the math. Who doesn’t know someone who
isn’t suffering from obesity and/or diabetes? My step-father, who was once a driver for Coca-Cola, is now a
diabetic. Almost everyone has an uncle, sister or parent who has suffered from these diet-related diseases.
The story of Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor of A Tribe Called Quest illustrates this issue for a lot of us. In 1991,
he rapped “drink a lot of soda so they call me Dr. Pepper.” Two years later, he asked “when’s the last time you
heard a funky diabetic?” In 2000, he went on dialysis. In 2008, he received a kidney transplant from his wife.
In the group’s 2011 documentary he admitted, “like straight up drugs….I’m addicted to sugar.” On March 23
of this year, he passed away at the age of 45.
To Phife’s point, there is growing evidence that sugar may be an addictive substance and that education isn’t
enough to dissuade consumption. Studies show that increasing the price of sugary beverages could get people
to drink them less, especially kids who are price-sensitive, similar to how increasing the price of cigarettes
through taxation was one of the biggest contributors in driving down smoking rates.
The city has positioned itself on the front lines in the battle against urban poverty and diet-related disease, and
the rest of the world is watching. Now is the time to be creative, be intentional and have strong resolve. If we
can do it here, then maybe it can be done everywhere. If people decide that they want to pay the tax and
continue to drink SSBs, the money will go towards anti-poverty measures like universal pre-K and
improvements in neighborhood recreation centers which only make sense and will ultimately improve the health
of the city. If people decided that it’s too expensive and they’re not going to drink SSBs, then that’s going to
improve their health, as well. With a true public health and economic benefit to the city, the mayor’s proposed
budget has the potential to greatly improve the health and well-being of Philadelphians, especially our children.
With this in mind, please support Mayor Kenney's proposed tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.