From today, millions of children across the UK will benefit from the Westminster government’s key milestone in tackling childhood obesity, as the Soft Drinks Industry Levy comes into effect.
The tax on soft drinks, commonly referred to as the ‘Sugar Tax’, has already resulted in over 50% of manufacturers reducing the sugar content of drinks since it was announced in March 2016 – the equivalent of 45 million kg of sugar every year.
Soft drinks manufacturers who don’t reformulate will pay the levy, which is expected to raise £240 million each year. This money will go towards doubling the Primary Sports Premium, the creation of a Healthy Pupils Capital Fund to help schools upgrade their sports facilities, and give children access to top quality PE equipment.
The levy will also give a funding boost for healthy school breakfast clubs.
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick MP visited the Lucozade Ribena Suntory factory yesterday, which has led the way in reformulating its drinks alongside the likes of Tesco and Irn Bru.
He said: “The Soft Drinks Levy is one part of our plan to tackle childhood obesity. From Friday, soft drinks which contain too much added sugar will need to pay a fee. All revenues raised through the levy will directly fund new sports facilities in schools as well as healthy breakfast clubs, ensuring children lead healthier lives.
“We want to persuade manufacturers to reformulate their drinks and lower the sugar content. In the time between announcing this policy and it taking effect today, more than half of all soft drinks have been reformulated to lower the sugar content, including many of the best known soft drinks. We hope that will continue in the months and years to come.
“In England alone, a third of children are obese or overweight when they leave primary school, and evidence shows that 80% of kids who are obese in their early teens will go on to be obese adults.
Public Health Minister, Steve Brine MP remarked: “Our teenagers consume nearly a bathtub of sugary drinks each year on average, fuelling a worrying obesity trend in this country. The Soft Drinks Industry Levy is ground-breaking policy that will help to reduce sugar intake, whilst funding sports programmes and nutritious breakfast clubs for children.
“The progress made so far on our obesity plan is promising—but with one in three children still leaving primary school overweight or obese, we have not ruled out doing more in future.”
Today’s introduction of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy is a welcome step in the right direction, but only one part of what needs to be a much wider programme of action to tackle childhood obesity, says the British Dietetic Association (BDA).
The new levy has already had the intended effect, with a number of big name brands choosing to reduce the sugar content of their drinks. This has been complemented by a voluntary reformulation programme by Public Health England which targets other high-sugar products most often consumed by children.
However, the BDA believes cutting down sugar through taxes and reformulation programmes can only ever be one piece of the puzzle. Obesity is a complex and multi-faceted problem, and will require a range of actions to be truly effective, from restrictions on marketing and advertising of High Fat, Sugar and Salt Foods, to evidence based education interventions and public health messaging. Fundamentally, children and adults can most effectively reduce their sugar intake by cutting out sugar sweetened beverages or HFSS foods, rather than relying on reformulation to improve their diet.
Newly released statistics from NHS Digital[1] highlight the challenge from obesity that the UK still faces. The number of people admitted to hospital with obesity as a factor has risen by 18% to 617,000 in 2016/17 from 2015/16. Childhood obesity rates continue to be worryingly high, and children from more deprived backgrounds continue to be much more likely to be obese or overweight.
“The sugar levy is certainly a positive development, but it isn’t a silver bullet that’s going to solve our obesity problem” said BDA Chair Elect and Public Health Dietitian Caroline Bovey. “I know from my day-to-day work how challenging it is to change children and adult’s eating behaviour.
“It is really important that the governments across the UK implement a range of actions to tackle obesity, including properly funded nutrition education and cooking skills training. We will only reverse the obesity trend if people are empowered to take action themselves within a supportive environment.”
“Like any wide ranging public health policy, the sugar levy has had some unintended consequences, and it is important that steps are taken to mitigate these. For people with the condition Phenylketonuria (PKU), the increased use of aspartame and other ingredients containing phenylalanine, which they cannot break down, has a serious impact.”
The BDA believes clear labelling and an approach that reduces the overall sweetness of drinks, rather than just replacing sugar with sweeteners, is the best way forward.
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