not aloha: sugary drinks are making
us sick.
Here’s the bitter truth that the beverage industry doesn’t want us to know: the sugar-filled drinks they’re selling are making Hawaiʻi sick. Beverage companies spend millions on advertising to influence us to “live aloha” by buying their products, yet they won’t admit that sugary drinks contribute to diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and tooth decay! And it’s no coincidence: The communities most targeted by these ads also tend to be those that suffer the hardest under the burden of these diseases.
the opportunity to build a thriving, healthy hawai‘i for our keiki!
A fee on drinks with added sugar can generate revenue to be reinvested to build a healthier future. We can make locally-grown fruits and vegetables more accessible. Make our neighborhoods safer and more convenient for all to walk, bike, and play. Fund school gardens and farm to school programs for our keiki. They also have the added benefit of reducing sugar consumption among our keiki and community-wide–a win-win.
As a pediatrician, I strongly support a fee on sugary drinks, especially if the revenue is invested in public health programs. To promote optimal health for children, and prevent obesity and diabetes, we must support our families and begin addressing the issue at all levels – from the individual to the systems and policies that shape the environment.
Dr. May Okihiro, Pediatrician, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center
our solution
revenue generation
A small, 2-cent-per-ounce fee on drinks with added sugars will raise revenues for health and improve health!
+$60m
healthy keiki
Sugary drinks are not an essential part of a healthy diet and our kids thrive when they drink water, not sugary beverages.
WHAT WE’RE SUPPORTING IN 2022
legislation
This year, the legislative session will be all online, giving residents across the state the ability to participate in the legislative process! Learn more about bills you can support this session to make this a reality:
hawaiʻi residents can benefit from sugary beverage fee revenues!
- Similar to successful programs in Berkeley, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Seattle, residents in Hawaiʻi can reap the benefits of a fee on sugary drinks.
- Here are some creative ways that these cities are helping children and families benefit from healthy programs and healthy choices. All of these efforts are funded by revenues from a fee collected from sugary drinks: Nutrition programs for low-income residents, such as Double Up Food Bucks (known in many Hawaii markets as “DA BUX”), school cooking and gardening programs, Pre-K expansion and childcare, college-readiness programs, safe active spaces and physical education programs, oral health services, and other programs to prevent childhood obesity and chronic disease.
- Healthier communities are more resilient communities. A sugary beverage fee will help ensure that Hawaiʻi communities emerge from the public health and economic crises caused by COVID-19 stronger than before!
WHAT CAN I DO?
join the movement
endorse the campaign
Add your or your organization’s name in support of legislation to create a sugary drink fee to fund public health programs.
sign up for action alerts
receive email and/or text alerts on legislation to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks.
WHAT WE DO KNOW?
the facts
0
adults in Hawai‘i with diabetes or prediabetes.
0
% of Hawaiʻi adults who are overweight or obese.
0
annual obesity-related medical costs in Hawai‘i.
0
in 10 Hawai‘i 3rd graders affected by tooth decay.
WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW?
faqs
Why focus on soda and sugary drinks?
What drinks would the fee apply to?
What’s the difference between a tax and a fee?
LEARN MORE
news & developments
- Ige’s Plan To Tax Sugary Drinks Is Viable And Smart
- How Boulder’s soda tax is helping fight hunger during COVID-19
- Seattle’s sugary drink tax helps feed local families hit hardest by COVID-19
- Three years into soda tax, sugary drink consumption down more than 50 percent in Berkeley
- Soda industry steals page from tobacco to combat taxes on sugary drinks
- New U.S. dietary guidelines: No added sugar for kids under 2
- Once again soda tied to higher risk of early death
supporters
- American Heart Association
- Center for Getting Things Started
- Community Clinic of Maui Malama I Ke Ola Health Center
- Cristeta Ancog MD
- David M. Johnston
- Debbie Millikan
- Emi Orikasa
- Erwin Quiñanola
- Get Fit Kaua‘i – Healthy Eating Active Living Coalition of Kaua‘i County
- GreenWheel Food Hub
- Hawai‘i Appleseed for Law and Economic Justice
- Hawai‘i Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (HAHPERD)
- Hawai‘i Children’s Action Network
- Hawai‘i Public Health Institute
- Hui No Ke Ola Pono, Inc.
- Janet Berreman
- Jean Butel
- John Kapanui
- Joshua Fukumoto
- Ka Ohana O Na Pua
- Kahoʻomiki – Council of Physical Activity & Nutrition
- Kathryn Penwell
- Kelsey Amos
- Lillian Coltin
- Lydi Bernal
- Lynn Batten
- Monica Esquivel
- Obesity Prevention Task Force
- Papa Ola Lokahi
- PHOCUSED
- Rayleen Egami
- Stacy Evensen
- Sydney Millerd
- Usha Kilpatrick
- Waimanalo Health Center
- Wendy Baker
- West Hawai’i Community Health Center
*Want to see your organization’s name on this list? Endorse the campaign here!
