> We’re talking to the industry to see how they’re able to lessen sugar in the ingredients for sodas etc and because the stats have shown that that is one of the significant contributors to non-communicable diseases, something that this country is struggling with as I speak.”

Well, Coca Cola will not allow their local franchise to reduce the sugar in their beverage, so this is a waste of time.

The food manufacturers are suing the FDA in the US, because of upcoming guidelines which would prevent the breakfast cereals and canned soups from using the word healthy on their label if they exceed sugar limits.

The soup called Healthy Choice has 21 grams of sugar per serving, that is the same as Coca-Cola.

The govt already charges 40% duty on imported beverages, their dilemma is that they do not wish to add 20% to that.

> elimination of trans fats legislation

There goes Crisco and margarines. But that is in manufactured food.

Do you all ever fry stuff and see the oil smoking? Or grill meat brushed with barbecue sauce?
Or fry the onion in lard with tomato sauce to make peas and rice?
There, you have been making your own transfat.

Will the 'sin tax' be extended to cooking oil, butter, cream, beer, liquor, juices, etc., etc..

Not at the moment. They are just obeying the WHO, who said sugary beverages. Put it in the law but underneath the FOIA in a drawer somewhere.

Butter and cream are not a sin. Margarine is.

But right now, the WHO masters just say sugary beverages. Not candy, or fast food, or anything else.

Most Bahamians, especially children, were much healthier before the fast food franchises came to our shores in the 1970's.

Wendy's, Marco's, KFC, McDonald's, Domino's, Burger King and all the other extremely unhealthy fast food franchises should be paying the lion's share of the taxes necessary to fund the annual budgeted costs of the Ministry of Health. The addictive and extremely unhealthy so called 'food' sold by these fast 'food' establishments is just as addictive and deadly as the cigarettes sold to addicted smokers. Frankly, they should be taxed out of business!

And there is an obvious reason why the entire medical community does not speak out loudly against those profiteering from the sale of deadly products......it's because they too are enjoying great profits from all of the sicknesses and chronic diseases afflicting most Bahamians and their family members today. Sadly, most Bahamians are clueless about just how deadly the processed foods and sugary drinks sold by fast food franchises truly are.

And just think about the exorbitant health insurance premiums government departments and agencies are now having to pay for their employees and for which private sector taxpayers are having to bear the costs. It's all truly sickening!

Excess sugar is one of the main causes of diabetes.

The bahamas has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the western hemisphere. Fast food has an inordinate amount of sugar in it.

Draw your own conclusions, but don’t deny proven, well know science.

Refined sugar is a drug many times more harmful than marijuana. This is an opinion shared by many of the more informed and educated. As is usually the case; government policy lags well behind the current understanding, Hyper processed foods are even more damaging to human health than processed sugar. Advanced countries are now moving towards tackling this problem. Give the government another 10 or 20 years and they may do the same. Regardless this iwould be a positive step forward if enacted.