Big Food is making us sick - We need an EU sugar tax!
To the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the governments of EU Member States
Petition
Investigative journalists have revealed the dirty tactics giants like Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, and Ferrero use to keep sugary products widely available, even though they harm our health. They deploy legal threats and intense lobbying to pressure you, our elected officials, into blocking or delaying measures that could reduce sugar consumption, like sugar taxes.
This is unacceptable. As our representatives, your duty is to the health and well-being of European citizens, not to the profits of Big Food.
We call on you to stand firm against this corporate bullying and take bold, coordinated action at the EU level:
- Introduce an EU-wide sugar tax on sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods.
- Resist industry pressure and implement sugar taxes at the national level.
- Combine sugar taxes with other measures like junk food marketing restrictions and mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labeling to maximize the public health impact.
- Invest the revenues from sugar taxes in health promotion campaigns and programs to make healthy diets more affordable and accessible for all.
Obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are placing an ever-growing burden on our health systems and our society. We cannot allow the narrow interests of a few multinationals to override the health of millions of Europeans.
Why is this important?
Junk food giants like Coca-Cola, Kellogg's and Ferrero are fighting to keep our kids hooked on sugar. And blocking every rule that would stop them. [1]
An investigative report has exposed their dirty tactics: legal threats and intense lobbying to pressure governments into stopping or delaying the very policies that could cut sugar consumption. That means trying to block taxes on sugar, limits on junk food ads, and clearer labeling. [2]
Too much sugar is linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and tooth decay. But these corporations are putting profits ahead of our children's health. [3]
Where sugar taxes have been introduced, they work. In Portugal, a sugar tax cut calories from sugary drinks by around 11%, the equivalent of 30 fewer sugar cubes per person each month. [4]
Now, imagine that across Europe. An EU-wide sugar tax would push companies toward healthier, nutritious alternatives. But Big Food will do everything it can to stop this.
We can't let them win. With the truth now out in the open, we have a narrow window to act before Big Food's lobbyists bury these findings.
Sign the petition for an EU-wide sugar tax that makes food and drinks healthier. Your voice will give our politicians the backbone they need to stand up to corporate bullying and put our children's health first!
References:
[1] https://www.un-industria.it/notizia/90327/cocacola-hbc-italia-con-sugarplastic-tax ;
https://lespresso.it/c/inchieste/2026/7/22/guerra-big-food-cibo-spazzatura-salute/63589 ; https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/big-food-vs-the-people/
[2] [3] https://www.ftm.eu/articles/industry-lobby-sugar-taxes-postponed-cancelled ; https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/big-food-vs-the-people/
[4] Sugar taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce consumption according to the World Health Organization, but only half of EU countries have one due to industry pressure.
https://www.who.int/news/item/13-01-2026-cheaper-drinks-will-see-a-rise-in-noncommunicable-diseases-and-injuries ;
data.europa.eu/doi/10.2778/9947154 ;
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30240-8/fulltext