WEBINAR: Bitter Pill or Sweet Solution – A Sugary Drinks & Food Levy

Sugary drink levies are a globally recognised tool for improving public health — but the conversation is only just beginning in Aotearoa.

Join us for this webinar with international experts Assoc Prof Arantxa Colchero (Mexico), Prof Peter Scarborough (UK), and Dr Andrea Teng (NZ) as they share what the evidence shows — and what’s possible.

Facilitated by food educator and presenter Ganesh Raj, this timely webinar opens up a much-needed dialogue on equity, prevention and the power of policy.

Register now

Associate Professor Arantxa Colchero

Arantxa Colchero is a health economist and Associate Professor at Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health. She holds a PhD in Health Systems from Johns Hopkins and is a senior researcher with both CONACYT and the National Institutes of Health. Her research focuses on fiscal policies to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, ultra-processed foods and alcohol, as well as the feasibility of using taxes and subsidies to improve diets. She also studies the Mexican health system and the economic impact of suboptimal breastfeeding. Assoc Prof Colchero will talk about the Mexico experience with a sugary drinks levy.

Professor Pete Scarborough

Pete Scarborough leads the Sustainable Healthy Food Group in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. He works on policy solutions to support healthy, sustainable diets and was closely involved in evaluating the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy. Pete’s research explored how the levy influenced industry reformulation and how fiscal policy can drive healthier food environments. Prof Scarborough will look at the UK model.

Dr Andrea Teng

Andrea Teng is a Public Health Physician and Epidemiologist based at the University of Otago’s Department of Public Health. Her research focuses on preventing non-communicable disease and addressing inequities through evidence-informed policy. Andrea has worked on fiscal policy for improved nutrition in the Pacific and evaluated H. pylori screen-and-treat strategies for stomach cancer prevention. She has led numerous studies using large-scale administrative datasets, including the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI). Dr Teng will talk about the impact of sugar levies throughout the Pacific region.

Ganesh Raj

The webinar will be facilitated by Ganesh Raj, one of Aotearoa’s most engaging food personalities, known for his passion for healthy eating and vibrant on-screen presence. He co-hosts Eat Well for Less NZ and Cooks on Fire on TVNZ, and created The Humble Yum Yum — a podcast and video series celebrating affordable, family-friendly kai. Ganesh is a strong advocate for better food systems and brings a powerful mix of lived experience, cultural insight and public influence to the conversation on food and equity. Whether on screen or in the community, he inspires Kiwis to eat well and connect through food. Ganesh will facilitate the Q&A at the end of the speakers’ kōrero.