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Resource Pack for TeachersGlobal Citizenship MiniChallenge KS4Sugary drinks – a debate

The National Assembly for Wales is made up of 60 Assembly Members from across Wales. They are elected by the people of Wales to represent them and their communities, make laws for Wales, agree Welsh taxes and to make sure the Welsh Government is doing its job properly.

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Global Citizenship Mini Challenge KS4-

‘Sugary Drinks – a challenge for government or

us?’

Introduction

The National Assembly for Wales is made up of 60 Assembly Members from across Wales. They are

elected by the people of Wales to represent them and their communities, make laws for Wales and to

ensure the Welsh Government is doing its job properly.

The Assembly’s Education and Youth Engagement Service provides free tailored education

programmes for schools, colleges and youth groups. Our aim is to involve young people in the work of

the Assembly and encourage them to get involved in the democratic process.

We think it’s important that children and young people develop an understanding of issues that affect

their lives so that they can make informed and responsible decisions as citizens. Our learning

programmes offer activities and opportunities to discuss political issues, either at the Assembly’s

centre for learning, Siambr Hywel, or at a school, college, university or youth organisation.

The debates in Siambr Hywel will contribute to the Critical Thinking and Problem Solving aspects, for

example by allowing students to ‘be able to justify decisions’; ‘identify and develop arguments’ and

‘critically assess the strength of options and arguments, take into account opposing views or

alternative ideas, validity and reliability’.

This mini challenge, under the theme ‘nutrition,’ is designed to develop skills in preparation for the

assessed Challenge Brief.

This teacher’s guide will assist the completion of the Student Resource Pack. The student resource

pack contains the necessary information needed for learners to complete the mini challenge. To

accompany the Student Resource Pack is an Information Resource Pack for additional information.

After the completion of this mini challenge, you can book a visit with the National Assembly for Wales’

Education Service to see how the Assembly deals with nutrition and other topical issues in Wales.

Contact us on 0300 200 6565 to book your visit.

Activity Overview

Activity Description Outcomes Developed

01. Understanding Nutrition.

Looking at diets around the world.

Pupils to understand differences in diets

around the globe, in particular the

consumption of sugar and sweeteners.

PowerPoint slides: 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Student resource numbers: 1, 2 and 3.

02. Is sugar damaging our health?

Pupils to consider the issue of sugar in

our diets, using a PESTLE frame.

Pupils understand the PESTLE frame as a

tool for analysis.

PowerPoint slides: 9.

Student resource pack: PESTLE grid.

03. Facts and opinions about sugar. Develop critical literacy skills through

considering different written, visual and

numerical sources

PowerPoint slides: 11, 12, 13 and 14.

Student resource numbers: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and

9.

4. The sugar tax debate in Wales and the

UK.

Consider different viewpoints on one

solution.

Pupils to consider alternative opinions, views

and arguments.

PowerPoint slides: 15, 16 and 17.

Student resource numbers: 10 and 11.

Student resource pack: For and against

table.

5. Groups prepare a SWOT analysis of a

solution.

Pupils assess decision using a SWOT tool.

Pupils evaluate concepts and reflect on

problem solving.


Student resource pack: Two SWOT tables.

6. Personal Standpoint.

Through class discussion or debate in the

Assembly’s Young Person’s Debating

Chamber- Siambr Hywel- students decide

their personal standpoint and vote.

Topic for debate:

‘Sugary Drinks – a challenge for

government or us?’

‘A sugar tax-could it work?’

Pupils understand problem solving and

decision making techniques.

Students develop a detailed understanding

of the issue.


Student resource pack: Area for notes.

Raising Awareness. Generate appropriate and realistic ideas for

raising awareness.


Student resource pack: Area for notes.

Reflection. Pupils reflect on critical thinking and the

problem solving process.


Student resource pack: Personal reflection

grid.

Activity 1: Understanding Nutrition

A class discussion introducing the term Nutrition.

Use slide numbers 5 to 9 to discuss the differences in diets across the world.

Video is from Buzzfeed using YouTube, and summarises which countries have the highest sugar

consumption. Key facts from the video are included on a table on slide 7.

Questions to consider:

Which countries consume the most sugar?

Are you surprised/not surprised by which countries consume the most sugar?

A list of questions about the Buzzfeed video are included on slide 7.

Student resource pack:

Definitions of nutrition from the PowerPoint.

Table of countries from Buzzfeed video.

Facts about sugar from PowerPoint.

The questions included on slide 7 on the Buzzfeed video.

Activity 2: Is sugar damaging our health?

By using knowledge gathered in activity 1, learners should consider the issue of the growing

consumption of sugar from six different angles:

Political: internal – conflicting opinions and interests of political parties in the National Assembly

for Wales. External – employment laws, tax policies, trade restrictions, environmental regulations,

political stability.

Economic: internal – project viability, cost effective, affordable and within budget. External – tax,

economic growth, jobs, recession, exchange rate, minimum wage, wage rates, unemployment, cost

of living or working hours.

Social: society, family life, lifestyle, health, education, young/old, men/women, disabilities,

cultures, ethnicities.

Technological: what is needed? Does it need to be developed? How expensive and accessible?

Legal: employment or environment laws. Human rights.

Environmental: ecological and environmental aspects. Biodiversity, air, water, soil pollution,

climate change, noise and light pollution, attractiveness of environment.

Note: The following table contains a list of possible answers students could come up with.

Student Resource Pack:

PESTLE grid for completion.

Activity 2: Is sugar damaging our health?

Political Differences between the political parties on solutions to the

consumption of hidden sugars.

Policies to encourage healthy eating.

Should the government intervene? Persuading people to avoid sugary

drinks, or forcing people to stop consuming hidden sugars.

Economic Could cause a decrease in profit for companies producing products the

tax would apply to, leading to reduced investment and potential job

losses.

Increase in spending on the NHS.

Money can be raised through the tax to fund the NHS/education

programmes.

Increase in supermarket price of carbonated drinks.

Social Studies suggest links between high sugar intake and mental health

issues.

Decreased mobility.

Social stigma and media image towards obesity.

Health complications – diseases caused by obesity eg diabetes, heart

disease.

Technological Specialised ambulances developed to carry obese people.

New medicines need to be developed to cure illnesses caused by obesity

eg diabetes.

Legal New laws would need to be passed by the Assembly for the legislation to

cover Wales and fall within the competencies of the National Assembly

for Wales.

Issue could infringe on personal freedoms – could be a taken to court.

Environmental Could reduce the production of fizzy drinks – decreasing the amount of

plastic produced.

Activity 3: Analysis of ‘facts and opinions about

sugar’

Pupils are shown facts about sugar through a variety of resources.

Either individually or in groups pupils to analyse the information.

Information included:

A selection of photographs for students to analyse.

Sources for students to analyse in the resource pack, including a letter from Jamie Oliver to David

Cameron, facts and statistics about sugar consumption, and an information sheet from the

Taxpayers Alliance.

A video of Jamie Oliver giving evidence to the House of Commons Health Committee. This video

should provide students with a knowledge of how evidence is collected by a committee in a

parliamentary body.

Evidence begins at 16:13:45.

First question at 16:14:18.

Sugar tax discussion at 16:17:00.


Average sugar consumption of children.

Extracts from a letter written by Jamie Oliver to David Cameron, Prime Minister of the United

Kingdom.

The TaxPayers Alliance Sugar Tax Briefing.

National Diet and Nutrition Survey (rolling programme) 2008-2012.

The Telegraph, 20 January 2016, Laura Donnelly, Health Editor.

Quotations from organisations.

Results on a vote on the motion and amendments in the National Assembly for Wales.

Activity 4: The sugar tax debate in Wales and the

UK

Politicians in the UK Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales have debated what should be

done to curb rising levels of obesity. Although most people believe that there is no one solution to

combat this issue, some politicians and campaigners believe that a ‘pop tax’, increasing the price of

soft drinks loaded with added sugar would lower consumption of such drinks, a major source of added

sugar in our diets.

Show a clip from Senedd.tv of Assembly Members debating a sugar tax (09/12/2015: Item 5 – ‘A

sugary drinks levy’) from the PowerPoint.

Start time: 16:20 (item number 5 on the agenda).

Debate begins at 2:50:07 on the video.

Shorter version available on YouTube (link in PowerPoint).

What are the main arguments used during the debate?

Pupils should complete the table ‘Points for and against’ to collate their findings. An example table

is provided (not extensive).

Further research:

“Tax on sugary drinks backed by MPs” – BBC online.

“Sugar reduction: the evidence for action” - Public Health England.

“Childhood Obesity- Brave and Bold Action” - House of Commons Health Select Committee

November 2015.

Debate on Childhood Obesity, National Assembly for Wales, May 2015.


A ‘for’ and ‘against’ table to fill in individually or in groups.

Quotes from the four main political parties in Wales from the video.

A summary of the transcript from the Record of

Proceedings – a view from all the political parties

in Wales (9 December 2015)

“Let’s recap some of the facts about the consumption of soft drinks and health.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition stated that drinking high-sugar

beverages results in weight gain and increases body mass index in teenagers and

children. An obese child is 80 per cent more likely to be an obese adult. Being

overweight in adolescence is linked to a greater risk of bowel cancer later in life.

Overweight teenagers go on to have twice the risk of bowel cancer. Drinking a can

of Coke a day increases the risk of developing diabetes by 22 per cent. Yet sugary

drinks are taxed at a standard rate of VAT. They attract no extra taxation or duty

that reflects the health risks and costs associated with consumption.”

“So, I urge Members here this afternoon to support the introduction of a pop tax in

Wales, and for us here to lead the way in making this change happen for the benefit

of the health of our nation.”

Elin Jones AM Plaid Cymru

“A Tango tax is not the answer to the public health crisis that is growing here in

Wales. Whilst I have a great deal of sympathy with the calls to address increasing

sugar consumption across the country, I think we have to put things into context.

The reality is that only 3 per cent of the calories consumed here in Wales actually

come from soft drinks—just 3 per cent. So, if we think we’re going to make a huge

difference by simply taxing something like sugary drinks, then we are hugely

mistaken. And I don’t think that we will ever see, as a result of that, the sort of sea

change in the consumption of sugar that Elin Jones, quite rightly, is seeking to

establish here in Wales.”

“Let me tell you that certain fruit juice drinks have higher sugar contents than fizzy

pop. Are you wanting to tax those? Are you wanting to have additional taxes on

sugary milk products? You’re nodding away. So, you want to discourage people

from drinking fruit drinks, fruit juices—yes? You want to discourage people from

consuming something which is proven to have some health benefits and actually

tax an industry that is already making significant inroads into reducing the sugar

content of its drinks. I think this is entirely the wrong approach. If you think

seriously that adding pennies to the cost of a can of pop in Wales is going to

discourage youngsters across this country from buying the occasional Coke or the

occasional Fanta or the occasional Lilt or whatever else they’re buying, I think you

will be very much mistaken indeed.”

Darren Millar AM Conservatives

I think schools are already doing a good job on promoting healthy eating to

children, and the Change4Life sugar swap campaign is promoting tips on how to

lower sugar intake. So, there are other very important things we can do. I do realise

that the causes of childhood obesity are not just down to drinking pop. I think

increasing the cost of sugary drinks would send the right signal to families with

children and teenagers who are forming the habits of a lifetime at this point in their

lives. I think it is very important that we do this, as well as making sure that children

have the best start in life in relation to dentistry as well. I’ll just finally end on this

point about dentistry. When I first came to this Assembly and the children’s

committee looked at the issue with children’s teeth in Wales, it was absolutely

horrific what was happening at that time. I think that this would help with that a lot.

Julie Morgan AM Labour

I would like to see this tax used, as I said, as part of concerted action and a

concerted campaign by this Assembly as a whole and the Welsh Government to

persuade the Westminster Government to take action on marketing and

advertising of high-sugar products, especially to children, as well as looking to put

extra pressure on the food industry to address the sugar content and portion size

of everyday foods, because whilst we see table sugar dropping in sales, actually, our

sugar content is going up because of the hidden sugar in so many products that

people are not aware that they’re consuming.

Kirsty Williams AM Welsh Liberal Democrats

I think it is important—many people have said this afternoon that taxation is only

one of the policy tools open to us to tackle the problem of sugary drinks. We’ve

already got a wide range of measures in place to support and encourage healthy

diets and healthy, more active living. It’s important to just record those again: the

all-Wales obesity pathway, a framework for the services and support provided by

health boards, working with local government and other partners; the work being

taken forward by Public Health Wales in developing its 10-step programme to

address childhood obesity, and that’s focusing on how parents can adopt healthy

habits with their children at an early stage; Let’s Walk Cymru, walking projects

targeted at inactive adults—it’s not just children; the national exercise referral

scheme, targeting clients who are developing or have developed a chronic

condition; Change4Life Wales; and Healthy Working Wales. And, of course, we’ve

talked about education quite a bit this afternoon—the Welsh network of healthy

school schemes are particularly important in encouraging the development of

local healthy schools schemes.

Jane Hutt AM Welsh Government

Teachers’ notes ‘Points for and against’

For Against

In a debate at the Assembly on 09 December

2015, 38 Assembly Members voted in favour

of a tax on drinks containing added sugars

and 10 voted against.

Only 3% of our calories come from soft

drinks. Do you think a tax will make a

difference?

The House of Commons Health Select

Committee is in favour of a tax on sugary

drinks in recommendations made in

November 2015.

Soft-drink manufacturers have already been

making huge inroads into the volumes of

sugar in their drinks in recent years. Some

manufacturers have reduced the content of

sugar in their fizzy drinks by up to 30% or

even 40%, and consumers are still buying

them.

Increasing the price of a can of fizzy drink

could make people opt for an alternative

drink. One can of fizzy drink contains 9

teaspoons of sugar and the recommended

daily intake is 6-7 teaspoons.

Will adding pennies to the cost of a can of

pop in Wales discourage youngsters across

this country from buying the occasionalfizzy

drink?

Jamie Oliver thinks this is the best solution to

curb sugar intake amongst young people.

We need to educate the public about

choices, working with manufacturers to

continue to reduce the sugar content of soft

drinks in particular.

The levy introduced in 2014 has worked in

Mexico, and has seen a 65% drop in

consumption.

What is needed is cheaper healthy foods.

Finland, Hungary and France have all

introduced a tax on all soft drinks containing

added sugar.

We should not penalise healthy people who

like to drink these soft drinks occasionally

Drinking one can a day increases the risk of

cancer.

There was no childhood obesity in the 60s

since children played more often in the

street.

Too much sugar in the diet can lead to Type

2 Diabetes, which can lead to blindness.

What about a levy on all sweets and

chocolate?

The money collected could pay for services

in the NHS in Wales.

What about restricting the advertisement of

food and drinks full of sugar before 9pm?

The problem arises because of over

consumption but nobody would argue now

against taxing alcohol and cigarettes, just

because they are not consumed regularly.

Perhaps best to reduce the amount of added

sugar in food and drinks first?

Commissioned research which models the

effects of a 20p per litre tax found:

Obesity levels would reduce by 8,300.

the number of people who were overweight

would be reduced by 13,300.

consumption of sugary drinks would reduce

by around 15 per cent, leading to a reduction

of diabetes by between 3 per cent and 5 per

cent, with reductions greatest amongst

those on low incomes.

Ischaemic heart disease would decline

between 1 per cent and 3 per cent.

There would be more positive behaviour

from children in schools due to less sugar

consumption. Tooth decay would be

reduced.

£45 million would be raised in tax receipts.

There would be a long-term saving to the

NHS from treating the effects of obesity and

diabetes.

Activity 5: SWOT analysis

As well as tax, some politicians have called for:

A crackdown on price promotions of unhealthy foods.

Tougher controls on marketing, including the use of cartoon characters to promote unhealthy

food.

A ban on advertising unhealthy foods on television before 21:00.

Clearer labelling of products showing sugar content in teaspoons.

A drive to force the industry to reduce sugar in food and drink as has happened with salt.

Pupils to complete a SWOT analysis frame to assess the viability of two of the ideas above.


SWOT table for completion.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Activity 6: Personal standpoint

Use individual research as a basis to hold a class debate or arrange to debate the issue at the

Assembly’s dedicated Youth debating chamber in Cardiff Bay. This could be held in the style of an

Assembly debate (as viewed in the Senedd.tv video) or informally amongst learners.

For more information, visit www.yourassembly.org, or visit the Assembly and book an educational

visit (0300 200 6565)


Area for learners to note.

Suggested topic for debate:

‘A sugar tax-could it work?’

‘Sugary Drinks – a challenge for government or us?’

This is a more challenging topic – it can be swapped onto the PowerPoint.

http://www.yourassembly.org/

Activity 7: Raising awareness

Individuals or groups of people, including young people, often start an awareness raising campaign

about an issue they feel passionate about. Such campaigns often gather supporters and elected

representatives will often discuss the issue at either a local authority level or national Assembly and

/or Parliament. Pupils to discuss the following ways they can get their message across:


Area for students to note ideas.

E mail an Assembly Member:

You have 5 Assembly Members representing you. Visit the ‘Your Assembly’ website at

www.yourassembly.org and use the interactive map to find your Assembly Members, all their

social media channels and e mail addresses. Think about what you want to achieve and write the e

mail as clearly as possible.

Social Media:

Start following people that might have an interest in your campaign/issue.

Create a short and simple hashtag to use across all social media platforms eg Facebook, Instagram,

and Twitter.

Petition the National Assembly for Wales:

Draft what action you would like to happen and send as an e-petition to the National Assembly for

Wales. Visit the Get Involved tab of the Your Assembly website to find useful information about how

to petition. Read current petitions to give you inspiration.

A petition requires 10 signatures for it to be considered by the Assembly’s Petition Committee. A

petition to the House of Commons needs 10,000 signatures for it to be acknowledged, and

100,000 signatures for it to be considered for debate.

http://www.yourassembly.org/

Activity 8: Personal reflection

What have I learnt?

Outcome I have started to develop

this skill

I am confident I have

achieved this outcome

I can use PESTLE to think

about an issue

I can critically assess a

variety of sources

I can consider a variety of

viewpoints about an issue

I can solve problems and

make decisions using

SWOT

I have developed a

personal standpoint about

the issue of sugar in sugary

drinks

I can generate appropriate

and realistic ideas for

raising awareness


Personal reflection table for completion.

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