One in five children is obese by the time
they finish primary school.
Include those classed as overweight and the figure jumps to one in
three.
In January 2016, researchers at the Food Foundation produced a model of the typical family's diet.
Every
member of the average family consumed too much sugar and saturated fat
and too little of the good stuff - fibre, fruit and vegetables and oily
fish. All but the youngest members were eating too much
red and processed meat and salt and children consume three times as much sugar as they should - with a third
of that coming from fizzy drinks.
Food
promotions in advertising and instore are heavily weighted towards unhealthy products. About
40% of expenditure on food goes on promotions, causing us to purchase a
fifth more than we would have otherwise, according to Public Health England. In Mexico, consumption fell by 6% after a sugar tax of 10% was introduced.
The government in England was expected to publish its child obesity
strategy in February 2016. Predictions were that it might include a sugar tax and a crackdown on shop promotions and
advertising, and a
sustained drive to reduce the sugar content of food. While there will be measures to get people more active too, the emphasis will be on diet as there is an acknowledgement
that without curbing calories there is a limit to what physical activity
can do. NHS bosses have already announced they will impose 20% "sugar tax" in hospital cafes.
In March 2016, the Chancellor George Osbourne announced a new tax on the soft drinks industry to be introduved in two years' time (2018), squarely aimed at high-sugar drinks, particularly fizzy drinks, which are popular among teenagers. Pure fruit juices and milk-based drinks will be excluded and the smallest producers will have an exemption from the scheme. It will be imposed on companies according to the volume of the sugar-sweetened drinks they produce or import.
There
will be two bands - one for total sugar content above 5g per 100
millilitres and a second, higher band for the most sugary drinks with
more than 8g per 100 millilitres. Analysis by the Office for Budgetary
Responsibility suggests they will be levied at 18p and 24p per litre. [Examples
of drinks which would currently fall under the higher rate of the sugar
tax include full-strength Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Lucozade Energy and
Irn-Bru. The lower rate would catch drinks such as Dr
Pepper, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes Indian tonic water and alcohol-free
shandy.]
Why go for a sugar tax on drinks? Unlike a chocolate bar or slice of cake, they are not
automatically seen as a treat and tend to be consumed every day. Some of the drinks are incredibly high in
sugar. A typical can contains enough sugar - about nine teaspoons - to
take someone over their recommended sugar intake in one hit. For
teenagers they are the number one source of sugar intake while overall,
children get a third of their daily sugar intake from them. They are "empty calories" as they have no nutritional benefit.
While the tax applies to the whole of the UK, Mr Osborne's
announcement on where the money is spent applies solely to England. The
devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are
free to decide how to spend their share.
[Government reports and policies can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/obesity-and-healthy-eating ]
Various sources in January to February 2016.
