Responding to the publication in the British Medical Journal of a study that finds a 20% sugary drinks tax would cut the obesity rate, Malcolm Clark, campaigner for Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, said:
We welcome this important piece of research, which provides yet more evidence that a duty on sugary drinks would improve the diet and health of children and young people. The benefits would be even greater if the Government used the money raised to extend Free School Meals to include all primary school children.
The new research supports our recent report, A Children’s Future Fund, showing that sugary drinks duty meets all the tests of a good policy. It targets a key source of excess sugar and calories, would benefit those who consume the most and are most at risk; and could easily be implemented. The duty would cover all sugar sweetened drinks, including those – like flavoured waters and juice drinks – that parents often don’t realise have added sugar.
We challenge the Government to show it has a public health backbone by introducing a sugary drinks duty, alongside better protection for children from junk food marketing and robust nutrition and sustainability standards for all the food served in schools, hospitals and other publicly funded places.
Published Friday 1 November 2013
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
