Description: This publication examines whether sugary drink taxes changed beverage calories purchased at Taco Bell drive-throughs in five U.S. jurisdictions. Overall, sugary drink taxes were not associated with meaningful reductions in beverage calories purchased per transaction, either for individual drinks or drinks included in combo meals. The authors conclude that, in fast food restaurant settings, current U.S. sugary drink taxes may be too small or insufficiently passed through to prices to meaningfully reduce beverage calorie purchases.

Citation: Rummo, P. E., Echenique, J. A., Wu, E., Mijanovich, T., Desai, S. M., Bragg, M. A., Weitzman, B. C., & Elbel, B. (2026). Impact of sugary drink taxes on beverage calories purchased in a national fast food restaurant chain: A quasi-experimental study. PLoS medicine, 23(4), e1004642. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004642

Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/