ArticlePublic health nutrition2022
South Africa's Health Promotion Levy on pricing and acquisition of beverages in small stores and supermarkets.
Article in Public health nutrition, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages: Perspectives of adults and nursing practitioners in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, South Africa.Journal of public health research · 2026Article
- Understanding Research Approaches to Assess Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxation Policy Implementation and Response in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Results From a Scoping Review.Nutrition reviews · 2026Article
- Securing Somalia's health: leveraging sin tax revenues to drive universal health coverage and financial protection for lifesaving care in Somalia's health system-scoping review.Health economics review · 2026Review
- (Un)sweetened deal? Young people's views on the South African Health Promotion Levy and food in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Changes in sugar-sweetened beverages and non-essential energy-dense food purchases overall and by type before and after the implementation of taxes in Mexico: repeated cross-sectional national surveys (2008-2018).BMJ public health · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveIn response to concern over rising sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, in April 2018, South Africa became the first Sub-Saharan African (SSA) country to implement an SSB tax. We assess changes in pricing and acquisition of beverages from local supermarkets and small stores among 18-39-year-old adults living in one township in the Western Cape, before and after tax implementation. This study is among the first evaluations of an SSB tax on the local food environment in a low-income township.
designStore beverage pricing and participant surveys were cross-sectional, analysed 1 month before and 11 months after implementation of the tax (March 2018 and March 2019).
settingLanga, Western Cape, South Africa.
participantsSurveyed participants were residents of Langa between 18 and 39 years old (
resultsPrices of taxed SSB increased significantly among small shops and supermarkets between 2018 and 2019. There were non-significant decreases in prices of untaxed beverages in small shops, but prices of untaxed beverages increased in supermarkets. Across all store types, there was a 9 percentage point decrease in the probability of purchasing regular soda weekly pre/post-implementation. Reductions in purchasing were larger in small shops than supermarkets.
conclusionsWe found some differential impacts of the levy on pricing and acquisition of beverages by retailer type in one low-income township. As other SSA countries consider similar fiscal policies to curb soda consumption, obesity and related diseases, this work can be used to understand the implications of these policies in the retail setting.
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