France moves to ban unlimited refills of sugary soft drinks

From:FoodBev

The government of France has banned unlimited refills of sugary drinks in a bid to combat rising levels of obesity.

The new law applies to restaurants, school canteens and other foodservice establishments that previously allowed diners to pay for a fizzy drink, and then receive free refills for the remainder of their meal. It is aimed at soft drinks, including sports drinks with added sugar or sweeteners.

But it will also relate to milk, energy drinks, fruit syrups or nectars and water-based drinks where sugar or synthetic sweeteners have been added.

It is one of a number of measures being considered by governments around the world – along with a tax on soft drinks according to their sugar content – to reverse the rapid expanse of people’s waistlines.

One in eight French adults is obese and 40% are overweight, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has said, although the country generally has one of the lowest rates of obesity anywhere in the European Union.

Last year, the UK government announced plans for a £520 million sugar tax on soft drinks, and Ireland and South Africa are also waiting for their own legislation to take effect.

The mechanics of France’s latest legislation mean that companies will not be able to offer free refills when they buy food, or offer unlimited refills for a fixed price.

The country previously approved legislation to restrict consumers’ access to soft drinks dispensers, meaning people weren’t allowed to help themselves to soft drinks regardless of whether they were paid-for or free.

By removing consumers’ ability to help themselves to drinks, France’s National Assembly hoped that it would be able to lower consumption and reduce the prevalence of obesity in the general population.

Reporting on the plans at the time, FoodBev was able to reveal that water would be the only beverage consumers would retain access to.

A spokesperson for France’s National Health and Nutrition Programme said: “It is the role of the law to establish a framework to protect the population against a trade-upmanship that tends to make the ‘free’ surplus of food supply… an argument to attract consumers and encourage them to excessive consumption which can be harmful to health.”

It is a marketing ploy that has been adopted by a number of restaurant chains in recent years, possibly with its roots in the American diner tradition.

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