What would you do to avoid paying more taxes? Legally, that is.

That question is facing soft drink manufacturers the world over — most recently in the UK — and will eventually become a subject for many food producers and providers as governments realize the potential to use taxes to regulate what companies put in their products.

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“The UK plan relies heavily on voluntary action by the food and beverage industry,” said David Studdert, professor of medicine and law at Stanford University, who has published studies reviewing global efforts to control sugar consumption. “Other countries, including the US, have also turned to self-regulation. It will be interesting to see how well this works, [but] if history is a guide, it’s hard to be optimistic.”