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The UK’s sugar tax will be extended to more soft drinks as well as milkshakes under plans to fight obesity announced on Tuesday.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has said the level at which the sugar tax is imposed is being cut, catching some of Britain’s best-known drinks.
Milkshakes and pre-packaged coffees such as lattes and cappuccinos will also be included as the levy is extended to milk-based drinks for the first time.
The sugar tax was introduced by George Osborne in 2016 as a levy on drinks with a sugar content of 5g per 100ml. This has led to numerous brands reformulating products to avoid the tax, widely hailed as a public health success.
However, officials believe it is now time to be more ambitious, with many brands having sugar content just below 5g.
Streeting set out plans to lower the threshold to 4.5g per 100ml, catching drinks such as Pepsi.
Milk-based drinks, originally exempted to protect children’s calcium intake, will now be included to end what a consultation described as an “anomaly”.
The measure is expected to raise an extra £40mn-£45mn a year.
Streeting told MPs on Tuesday: “Obesity robs children of the best possible start in life, hits the poorest hardest, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems and costs the NHS billions.”
He added: “This government will not look away as children get unhealthier and our political opponents urge us to leave them behind.”
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