Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has urged the UK parliament to introduce a ‘sugary drinks tax’ in the forthcoming child obesity strategy, namely a 20p levy per litre on every soft drink that contains added sugar, arguing that this could potentially reduce sugary drinks consumption up to 15 per cent.
The same goal would be reached by showing the sugar content in teaspoons instead of grams.
“It’s easy to understand and instantly resonates with conscious consumption,” Oliver said.
Not everyone agreed with his view, though. Critics have claimed that a sugar tax would unfairly target one product over others and expressed doubts about the use of teaspoons on labels, adding that both Oliver’s proposals are not backed by evidence.
