Sugary Drink Taxes Fail to Curb Fast-Food Purchases

Study finds no significant impact of soda taxes on beverage calories bought at Taco Bell drive-thrus.

Apr. 3, 2026 at 5:06am

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A translucent X-ray photograph showing the internal structure of a fast-food drink cup, its contents glowing with ghostly lines that conceptually represent the high sugar levels.An X-ray view exposes the hidden sugary contents of a fast-food drink, hinting at the challenges of curbing consumption through taxation alone.Oakland Today

A new study published in PLOS Medicine found that sugary drink taxes had no effect on beverage calorie purchases from fast-food chain restaurants in the U.S. Researchers analyzed six years of sales data from over 7,300 Taco Bell locations nationwide and compared beverage calories per transaction at restaurants in areas with sugary drink taxes to a matched group in areas without such taxes. The analysis found no significant association between the taxes and reduced beverage calorie consumption, suggesting these policies may not be effective in fast-food settings.

Why it matters

Sugary drink taxes have been adopted in several U.S. jurisdictions as a public health strategy to curb sugar consumption and improve dietary behaviors. While previous research has shown these taxes can reduce sugary drink sales in grocery stores, their impact on fast-food purchases has been less clear. This study provides important insights into the limitations of these policies in fast-food settings, where consumer behavior and priorities around convenience may limit their effectiveness.

The details

Researchers analyzed sales data from 2015 to 2020 for over 7,300 Taco Bell locations nationwide, focusing on drive-thru purchases. They compared beverage calories per transaction at 60 restaurants across five jurisdictions with sugary drink taxes - Albany, California; Cook County, Illinois; Oakland, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Seattle, Washington - to a matched group of similar restaurants in areas without such taxes. The analysis found no significant association between the taxes and reduced beverage calorie consumption, suggesting these policies of this size may not substantially impact fast-food purchasing habits.

  • The study analyzed sales data from 2015 to 2020.
  • The findings were published on April 2, 2026.

The players

Brian Elbel

Researcher from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and co-author of the study.

Pasquale Rummo

Researcher from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and co-author of the study.

Taco Bell

The national fast-food chain that provided the sales data used in the study.

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What they’re saying

“Using millions of transactions from six years of sales data, we found that sugary beverage taxes did not influence beverage calories when implemented in five cities in the U.S.”

— Brian Elbel, Researcher

“These results suggest that sugary drink taxes may not be effective in reducing beverage calorie consumption in fast food restaurants, as compared to supermarkets. This could be because the sizes of sugary drink taxes in the U.S. are too small for consumers or that they just aren't responsive to price changes in these settings, among other reasons.”

— Pasquale Rummo, Researcher

The takeaway

This study suggests that while sugary drink taxes may be effective in reducing consumption in grocery store settings, they may not translate to meaningful changes in fast-food purchasing habits. Policymakers and public health advocates will need to consider alternative strategies beyond just taxation to curb sugary drink consumption in fast-food environments.