An alarming news revealed that Britain’s two third of adult population is overweight due to unhealthy food habits and nearly 40 million of them are diabetic, because of which the government is considering putting a sugar tax on high sugar content foods, especially the fizzy drinks. The government is even considering levying sugar tax for the vending machines and cafes which give high sugar content drinks.
Paul Polman, the boss of Unilever, one of the world’s largest food manufacturer, which produces Cornetto and few other ice creams reacted saying that this sugar tax will not help reduce the risk related to obesity and other life style diseases. He also showed Mexico as an example where there is sugar tax but that hasn’t helped in reduction of obesity in children. He commented that it has to be a holistic approach. Unilever is reducing its serving size thereby sugar intake is reduced.
Prime Minister David Cameroon is not for sugar tax but political pressure has made him consider that apart from taxing the fizzy drinks with high sugar level and cutting down of promotions and advertisements among children of the unhealthy food to curtail obesity.
Coco cola is looking at reforming their product by cutting down sugar level by 20% and promoting diet coke. Meanwhile the food and drink industry is having a talk with the government in lines of obesity and sugar tax as it is against cutting down sugar levels as demanded by the government.
Meanwhile David Cameroon opined “In essence, there is nothing wrong with [sugar], it depends on how your diet is. In some products it makes more sense, in others not. I personally am very mindful of my sugar intake. But I don’t need a tax for that, nor do poor people need a tax for that. Poor people need to be helped not being poor, that’s probably a bigger thing than anything else”.
He also mentioned about the US where the healthier food product growth has touched 80% despite there being no tax on the sugar levels. His opinion is that the habits of the people has to be changed and not the products.
But Sarah Wollaston, chair of the House of Commons health committee and a former GP is totally against David. She favors the idea of sugar tax as she feels it is also one of the strategies to tackle childhood obesity as sugary fizzy drinks are the major contributors of obesity in teenagers. She strongly feels that the sugar content to be mentioned on the containers like how indicating the salt content is being done now, which has helped in reduced salt intake. She also mentioned how levying plastic bags have reduced the usage of plastics considerably.
Sarah commented “We cannot keep ignoring the harm, widening health inequality and cost of childhood obesity both to individuals and wider society” and not including sugar tax is like missing a big opportunity as per Sarah.
