If you are a fan of carbonated drinks like Busta, Ritz, Bigga, Dr. Pepper, and other sodas, then have your last drink and enjoy it because pretty soon you won't be able to buy them in Belize.
7NEWS has confirmed that a statutory instrument signed last week banned the importation of any carbonated drinks as of June 18th which was last Saturday. That's right, with the exception of diet drinks only soft drinks made locally by Bowen and Bowen Limited will be legally allowed in Belize. What this means for you is that while for now you can still enjoy these drinks while they are still on the shelves, pretty soon they will be a thing of the past.
Santino Castillo whose San Cas Group is one of Belize's bigger importers says stocks of imported drinks on the shelves should last at the most another month. Castillo said that since no more permits are being granted for them to import carbonated drinks, only local soft drinks, most of which are produced by Bowen and Bowen, will remain on shelves. Castillo informed us that permits for the importation of beverages are granted on a per container basis and as such no new permits are being given.
We should note that there's already a ban on citrus based juices to protect locally produced juices. No reason was given to importers for the new statutory instrument but we note it came into effect one day after government increased the excise tax on beer from $4 to $6. Belize Brewing Company is the sister company to Bowen and Bowen which bottles Coca Cola and other soft drinks.
