Juice could be the next to feel the brunt of the sugar tax.

Government is considering whether the Health Promotion Levy will be extended to 100% juice, as it’s also high in sugar. Treasury says that pure fruit juice can also impact public health. Natural sugar in the form of fruit in a container could also have a high concentration of sugar in a serving, which is equivalent to sweetened beverages.

The South African Fruit Juice Association’s general manager, Rudi Richards says that the industry is surprised by this move.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa has criticised the initial decision to increase the sugar levy by 2.3 cents per gram. This as health professionals have welcomed the proposal to apply the sugar tax to 100% fruit juice.