Calls to tax sugary drinks as number of people living with diabetes rises

There are calls for a tax on sugary drinks and mandatory health ratings on foods in order to stem the tide of what is being called a diabetes epidemic.

In the last 10 years, the number of Australians living with diabetes has risen by 32 percent to almost 1.5 million people.

Diabetes Australia says the country has hit a crisis point and it is not just older people living with the condition.

There has been a 44 per cent increase in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in their 20s and 30s.

If that trend continues, Diabetes Australia estimates there could be 3.6 million people living with the condition by 2050.

For those living with diabetes now, there are calls for better access to affordable life-changing diabetes technologies such as continuous glucose monitoring devices and automated insulin delivery systems.

There are also calls to a protected and increased supply of drugs like Ozempic, which often face shortages.

To prevent more people developing the condition, there are proposals for a 20 per cent health levy on sugary drinks, a mandated health star rating for packaged foods and a national diabetes kidney disease screening program.

A Parliamentary inquiry into diabetes is expected to deliver its findings later this year.