Children’s Food Trust backs sugar tax as coalition forms against its introduction
The Children’s Food Trust has come out in support of the sugar tax as a campaign was launched today opposing the government’s plans to introduce the tax in April 2018.
The coalition, which is made up of industry bodies such as The Food & Drink Federation, The British Soft Drinks Association and The Federation of Wholesale Distributors among others, says the tax will have a minimal effect on the obesity crisis and will cost operators more.
However, The Children’s Food Trust’s CEO Linda Cregan has voiced her support for the sugar tax as one of the many steps required to get children eating better and creating a healthier environment.
She said: “Sugary soft drinks are a big source of sugar in children’s diet, particularly as they get older, and don’t give children any nutritional value. So we welcome every step to encourage us all to buy sugary soft drinks less often, and to keep manufacturers focused on reformulation of their products.
“But we have to remember that this tax isn’t a silver bullet – it’s just one tool to help in the fight to get children eating and drinking more healthily, and we look forward to the full set of ‘game-changing’ actions government has promised to deliver in the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy.”
The tax was introduced by George Osborne in the March budget following a campaign led by TV chef Jamie Oliver and charity Sustain.