Protect children, save lives, save taxpayers’ money.

Reducing the added sugar in soft drinks is a public health and taxpayer priority.

A sugary drinks tax is a tried, tested, fair and popular measure.

Take action

Tax the can

We support the Soft Drinks Industry Levy – a key plank of the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan.

Big food, drink and tobacco companies are fighting tooth and nail to block this sugary drinks tax from being introduced.

£1billion in new investment in primary school sports, breakfast clubs and secondary school after-school activities is potentially at risk if the Levy doesn’t go ahead.

It’s our children’s health, NHS resources and taxpayers’ money that is at stake.

Whose side are you on?

#taxthecan     #softdrinkstax     Take action

Contact us

Barbara Crowther
020 7065 0902
barbara@sustainweb.org

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Hear all the latest news from the campaign.

1. Protect children

  • Children are consuming nearly 3x recommended maximum daily sugar intake.
  • Almost 1 in 3 children in England are overweight or obese.
  • Tooth decay is the no:1 reason for hospital admissions among young children.

2. Save lives

  • Almost 50,000 fewer cases of Type 2 diabetes.
  • Over 33,000 fewer cases of heart disease and stroke.
  • Nearly 9,000 fewer cases of bowel cancer.

3. Save taxpayers' money

  • £300million in direct treatment savings to the NHS, and significant savings to the NHS dental care budget too.
  • More is spent in England each year on the treatment of obesity and diabetes than on the police, fire and judicial system combined.
  • The indirect cost to the UK economy from obesity is between £27billion and £46billion.

A sugary drinks tax is a tried, tested and effective measure.

Here’s why

A sugary drinks tax is a targeted, fair and proportionate measure.

Here’s how

A sugary drinks tax is a popular measure

Who SUPPORTS a sugary drinks tax:

  • Doctors, nurses, dentists, dietitians, surgeons, and other health professionals.
  • Public Health England (the Government’s own scientific advisors) and politicians from across the political spectrum.
  • The Treasury and the Government – it’s now Government policy!
  • Parents’ groups, teachers, trade unions, major children’s and health charities.
  • Majority support amongst the wider public – 69% in favour, according to a poll in March 2016. Other opinion polls also consistently show a majority in favour.
  • More than 155,000 people supported a petition to introduce a sugary drinks tax.

#taxthecan

Who is AGAINST a sugary drinks tax:

  • Big Soda – Coca Cola, PepsiCo, British Soft Drinks Association
  • Big Food – Nestle, Mondelez (Cadbury), Food and Drink Federation
  • Big Tobacco – British American Tobacco
  • Lobbyists for the tobacco industry – Institute of Economic Affairs, Forest
  • Lobbyists with non-transparent funding – TaxPayers Alliance, People Against Sugar Tax.
  • Obesity-deniers and anti-science ideologues and Twitter trolls.

#softdrinkstax

News

Watch Sustain in sugary drinks tax documentary

Watch Sustain's Deputy CEO, Ben Reynolds, in action in a 25 minute TV roundtable that explored the UK's Soft Drinks Industry Levy, and other policy action to reduce sugar. 

19/04/2018

Labour commits to junk food ad ban and extension of sugary drinks tax

Sustain has welcomed commitments from shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth that a future Labour Government would introduce legal standards for hospital food, extend the sugary drinks tax and ban junk food advertising during family TV, for the benefit of the nation's health.

13/04/2018

Positive effects of sugary drinks tax already being seen

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) welcomes the Soft Drinks Industry Levy saying that it has successfully encouraged manufacturers to reduce sugar in their products.

06/04/2018

How schools can get cash from sugary drinks

Government lets schools know how to get funding from the money raised through the sugary drinks levy.

27/03/2018

BBC Newsnight: how companies are bending the rules on junk food advertising

Sugary brands including Kinder, Chewits and Kellogg’s CocoPops were exposed by BBC Newsnight on Monday 15 January for continuing to target under-16s via websites, games, toys, apps and cartoon characters.

16/01/2018

archive

Publications

How the sugary drinks tax was won

With the introduction of the Government’s Soft Drinks Industry Levy – commonly known as the Sugary Drinks Tax – this report reflects on the campaign and coalition of charities and champions that made it happen. 

05/04/2018

Who sets the agenda?

Learning the lessons from the Responsibility Deal’s failure to tackle junk food marketing and promotion.

19/07/2016

Through the Looking Glass: A review of topsy-turvy junk food marketing regulations

A review of the topsy turvy world of the regulations that are supposed to (but don't) protect children from online marketing of junk food.

28/04/2013

A Children's Future Fund - How food duties could provide the money to protect children's health and the world they grow up in

The Children's Future Fund report points to the high levels of diet-related illness which is costing the NHS £6 billion every year and makes three recommendations for Budget 2013.

29/01/2013

The Obesity Games - junk food sponsorship of the Olympic Games

The inside track on the marketing strategies of Olympic food and soft drink sponsors, and the sponsorship deals behind them.

26/07/2012

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Sustain advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, promote equity and enrich society and culture.

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