A SPIRITED defence of Australia's sugar industry has seen Queensland Senator Ron Boswell heap scorn on the latest edition of the scientific journal, Nature.
The long-serving champion of one of this country's most important sectors contends that the article, titled The Toxic Truth About Sugar, is little more than an opinion piece which sets out to demonise sugar by comparing it to alcohol.
Sen Boswell says that sugar appears to have become the new punching bag for academics, including some from the University of California, with over-the-top claims about Queensland's largest crop, and one of Australia's most important rural industries.
The reports claimed that:
Sugar consumption is linked to a rise in non-communicable disease such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. Sugar's effects on the body can be similar to those of alcohol. Regulation should include tax, limiting sales during school hours and placing age limits on purchase. "Shame on Nature for publishing this unsubstantiated, nonsensical article attacking sugar," Sen Boswell said.
"Clearly the authors have no understanding of the real world with many of their proposals aimed at increasing the nanny state, by controlling consumers' intake of sugar," he added.
Sen Boswell slammed the authors for advocating adding taxes to processed foods that contain any form of added sugars, including sweetened fizzy drinks such as juice, chocolate milk and sugared cereal.
"Next, they will be suggesting that we put a tax on apples as they contain sugar," he said, asking, "Where it would end if these proposals see the light of day".
He also lambasted other suggestions put forward in the article for controlling the number of fast-food outlets and convenience stores in low-income communities and around schools.
Sen Boswell says the report's authors again are proposing over-the top regulation for convenience stores to stop sugar consumption.
"You can see where there is all going convenience stores will then need licences to operate. This is policy gone mad," he said.
Sen Boswell draws some comfort from leading Australian leading scientists, academics, also the key body representing dieticians in Australia, who have condemned the contentious article.
They include Jennie Brand-Miller from the University of Sydney and the pioneer of the glycemic index, a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels.
She and other organisations such as Victoria's Obesity Policy Coalition refute the author's science and, instead, point to a lack of evidence for sugar as the cause of the worldwide obesity epidemic and related lifestyle problems.
Sen Boswell says the Nature article has had damaging consequences.
"The authors must be made aware that you cannot peddle unsupported opinion pieces without hurting the thousands of people of people who rely on sugar for their livelihoods," he said.
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