Berkeley’s Soda Tax Election Changed Drinking Habits Months Before Prices Went Up

April 04, 2019

The Economic Inquiry  publication featured in Berkeley News  regarding soda tax research conducted by ARE affiliated authors Rebecca Taylor ('17 alumna),  Professor Sofia Villas-Boas and graduate student Scott Kaplan, and fellow co-author Kevin Jung "analyzed food and drink purchases at UC Berkeley-owned dining facilities and in drug stores in the city of Berkeley before and after residents voted in favor of levying a penny-per-ounce tax on all sugar-sweetened beverages. Their analysis revealed that soda sales dropped an average of 10 to 20 percent in the three months immediately following the vote — before the tax and any associated price hikes went into effect."

You can read more of the Berkeley News article here.