On July 1, consumers living in Cook County, a good chunk of Chicagoland, were greeted with a new tax, one that slapped a penny surcharge on every ounce of sweetened beverage, which included items such as soda, sports drinks, flavored water, energy drinks, pre-made sweetened coffee and tea with less than 50 percent milk content, among others.

I do see two issues looming ahead, however, and those are sugar taxes and legalized marijuana, both of which have major implications for the confectionery industry. But let’s focus on something all confectioners should do well to monitor: sugar taxes.