This week the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report calling for taxes on beverages with sugar, but a Cornell University professor says he is skeptical that this approach would have any impact on obesity. For starters, there is no evidence that targeting one item in the grocery cart will make anyone healthier.

"There is still little evidence of whether these taxes are effective in reducing obesity. Even if they reduced consumption of sugared beverages, we need to know what they are buying as a replacement. This is why a broader policy may be more effective than one that narrowly targets beverages,"  said Professor David Just in a statement on the WHO report.

Instead of advocating for a Band-Aid response to a complex challenge like obesity, we should work to provide consumers with information on how to best maintain a balanced diet and give them the choices in foods and beverages to do so.