Sugar Tax 2016: History Repeating, according to York Curators

“History repeating!”  That’s how curators of the Castle Museum in York have described the latest suggestions that a sugar tax could be implemented as part of a raft of measures to tackle the obesity crisis in 2016.

The curatorial team at York Castle Museum is currently putting together a new permanent exhibition, opening for Easter 2016, which looks at the links between fashion, lifestyle and diet throughout the last 400 years, including an exhibit dedicated to sugar, from its first introduction to the English aristocracy, to a modern day addiction.

“Until the early 19thcentury, sugar cane was the only source of sugar, and as this could not be grown in our country’s cold climate, it was an expensive luxury item for centuries – trading records show sugar being sold in London for two shillings for a pound in 1319 – around £75 in today’s money,” comments Ali Bodley, the museum’s senior curator of history.  “Indeed, following the introduction of the Sugar Act in 1764, the government collected nearly £1 million each year in sugar tax, levied at 34% - the equivalent of around £106 million today.”

Tax on sugar was only removed in 1874 by then Prime Minister, William Gladstone.  There were a number of reasons for this, including the growth of the sugar beet industry in the UK – it was not until the mid-18thcentury that sugar was first extracted from beet crops grown in Europe – and the effects on the abolition of slavery on the colonial sugar cane industry, which effectively increased production costs. 

Included in the displays in the new Castle Museum Exhibition will be a cone of sugar dating back to the late 18thcentury.  The cone pre-dates granulated sugar, and cooks would either break or scrape sugar from the cone for use in cooking.

“Sugar had gradually changed from being a luxury item to an everyday commodity, and became a key ingredient for lower class people who used it to make jams and preserves – an essential part of the diet for those poorest people for whom bread was their primary source of nutrition,” adds Ali.  “Removing the sugar tax made jam-making and other sweet products more affordable for those living in poverty, and may have marked the first step towards the obesity epidemic that we are facing today – sugar became a cheap, affordable staple, and sweet treats, including York’s own chocolate industry, made it easier to consume than ever before.” 

Alongside the displays on how diet has influenced body shape, the gallery will also look at other dietary fashions and fads, including diet pills – which were as lethal in Victorian times as some are today, containing ingredients including arsenic – to the 1930s trend to deliberately infect yourself with parasitic worms to control weight. 

“Of course, whilst some eras were marked by a trend to be skinny – including the early 19thcentury ‘TB chic’ where the gaunt, skinny appearance of someone suffering from consumption was considered attractive, to the 1990s equivalent of ‘heroin chic’, you also have periods when curvy figures were very much in vogue.  As with today’s ‘Kardashian booty’, at the end of the 18thcentury, ladies would use padded ‘bums’ or ‘rumps’ to create an enviable round silhouette – more examples of history repeating,” comments Ali.

“Shaping The Body: 400 years of food, fashion and life” opens at York Castle Museum on 25 March 2016.  For more details, please visit www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk
ENDS

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