RETRACTION: Changes in soft drinks purchased by British households associated with the UK soft drinks industry levy: controlled interrupted time series analysis

This paper by Pell and colleagues (BMJ 2021;372:n254, doi:10.1136/bmj.n254, published 10 March 2021) has been retracted by the journal following discussion with the authors.¹ As a result of subsequent analysis after publication, the authors identified an error in the paper that, when corrected, altered the main messages of the paper.

The authors themselves identified the problem and alerted the journal and readers about inaccuracies arising from the way in which the data were prepared for analysis. Correcting the error changed the findings of the paper. The reduction in sugar intake per household was less than previously reported, and an increase in the volume of purchased drinks was found. The journal judged that the policy implications of the paper were affected by these changes and did not think that correction of the paper would be the appropriate course of action.

We thank the authors for their cooperation throughout this investigation, The BMJ’s statistical editor, and the three external experts who provided post-publication advice to the journal on this matter.

A new version of the original research paper with corrected results has been published (doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077059).² The editorial linked to the original paper has also been retracted (doi:10.1136/bmj.n463).³