The makers of our soft beverages would prefer a different approach than a tax on those products to reduce sugar consumption.

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is imposing a 20-cent per litre tax on sugary drinks, but exempting items such as diet drinks.

The Canadian Beverage Association would prefer to see government work with them, as they don’t believe the tax will result in any substantial change in caloric consumption.

However, in every jurisdiction where a tax has been introduced, the result has been job loss.

About 60 people work at Browning Harvey in St. John’s, the bottler of Pepsi products.

Carolyn Fell, the vice-president of the association, assures people that diet drinks, which usually contain sugar substitutes, are safe.

She says such substitutes have been the subject of many studies, and have been deemed safe.