February 26, 2026
Colombia’s health taxes on sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods are doing what advocates hoped they would: helping people consume fewer unhealthy products and generating public revenue. New data released by the Ministry of Health at a national forum entitled “Healthy Taxes on UPPBs in Colombia: A Global Reference with a Roadmap for Public Defense” show that this policy is already delivering real results.
By the end of 2024—just one year after this policy, Colombians were already consuming fewer unhealthy products. Consumption of ultra-processed products (UPPs) fell by 4.3%, while sweetened-drink consumption dropped by 2.9% nationwide. These reductions were not confined to a single region. Departments including Magdalena, San Andrés, Bolívar, Boyacá, Casanare and Santander saw some of the largest declines in sweetened beverage consumption, showing that the policy is reaching communities across the country. The Ministry of Health has also recognized that the implementation of the country’s front-of-package warning label policy has contributed to these positive results.
The biggest changes are occurring among young people. Data from Colombia’s Quality of Life Survey show that daily sweetened beverage consumption among people aged 12–28 in that period fell from 24.6% to 22.6% and among adults aged 29–44, the decline was even larger, dropping from 24.9% to 19.2% over the same period.
Packaged snack foods show a similar trend. Daily consumption among young people declined between 2022 and 2024, adding to the evidence that younger generations are driving healthier eating habits. The largest reductions were seen among low-income households, where daily consumption of packaged foods fell from 18.1% to 14.0%. This pattern highlights the policy’s progressive impact, reaching those who are most vulnerable.
Price trends help explain these shifts. When Colombia’s sweetened beverage tax took effect in early 2023, prices initially rose in line with overall inflation. By mid-2024, however, their prices were increasing much faster. This divergence shows the tax is working as designed—making sweetened beverages drinks more expensive and, as a result, less appealing to consumers.
Sales data tell the same story. After the policy took effect, the largest sales declines were in UPPs, sweetened beverages and soft drinks. At the same time, sales of water and other hydration drinks increased.
Although the tax is designed primarily to improve public health, it is also delivering clear fiscal benefits. Revenue from the tax rose steadily throughout 2024 and into 2025, reaching 1.677 trillion COP (about USD 458 million) in the first half of 2025. These funds can support public health programs and help build long-term political support for the policy.
These early results did not happen by chance. Colombia paired a strong policy design with close attention to implementation, monitoring and accountability. In support of this effort, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator’s (GHAI) Food and Nutrition Program research team developed a key monitoring tool that has helped Colombian civil society partners track government actions, industry responses, market changes and consumer behavior. This allows advocates and policymakers to identify challenges early and respond with evidence-based, human rights–centered advocacy. By combining multiple data sources, the tool provides timely insights to strengthen enforcement, close regulatory gaps and can be adapted for use in other policy contexts and food systems.
In 2025, thanks to the advocacy efforts of a coalition of civil society organizations and academia, the government reinforced this approach by creating the Interinstitutional Public Monitoring and Accountability Working Group for Healthy Taxes. This body unites the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the National Directorate of Taxes and Customs (DIAN), academic institutions and civil society organizations free from conflict-of-interest, including GHAI’s local civil society partners FIAN Colombia, Dejusticia, Liga de Consumidores con Tal Cual, Red PaPaz and CAJAR. Its role is to coordinate monitoring and enforcement of the tax. As one of the first formal oversight mechanisms of its kind in the region, the group helps protect the policy from industry interference, misinformation and implementation gaps, while strengthening transparency and public trust.
The Ministry of Health-led group was formally launched in November 2025 at a national forum that brought together national and international experts—including GHAI’s partners from in-country, GHAI and the University of North Carolina. They shared global lessons, presented new evidence on the tax’s impact and reaffirmed its constitutional legitimacy. Since then, a recent ruling by Colombia’s Constitutional Court upheld the tax, further validating the policy’s legal foundation. The multisectoral nature of the discussion reflected a broad commitment to protecting strong public health policies and keeping them free from conflicts of interest.
GHAI is proud to support partners and government institutions in Colombia as they implement and defend this landmark policy. Colombia’s experience shows that passing a health tax is only the beginning—its success depends on strong monitoring, transparency and accountability to measure impact, address challenges and protect public health gains over time. This focus on implementation offers a powerful example for countries seeking to turn healthy food policies into real, lasting change.
