Is sugar the new tobacco? This is a question that Michèle Hozer asks for her 2015 documentary Sugar Coated which investigates how the food industry quashed hard science and stopped us talking about the toxicity of sugar.
The story begins back in the 70's during a secret PR campaign. For nearly forty years this multi-billion dollar industry has lobbied successfully to stop everything that threatened its interests and over time has increased the amount of food which contains enormous quantities of sugar. The direct result of this is a generation of children who are suffering from illnesses such as Liver disease which in the past were mostly seen only in adults.
With new campaigns springing up and pushing for legislation to make food healthier, especially in schools the industry is attempting to use the same tactics again to preserve its vested interests. Will they succeed and if so on what grounds? The Sugar Coated documentary explores this and the problems we are likely to face if nothing is changed.
