The UK’s War on Sugar: A Model for the World?
London — In British supermarkets, a quiet revolution is underway. The UK government has been waging a war against sugar, and it’s yielding impressive results. This week, the UK announced an expansion of its sugar tax to include milk-based drinks, such as milkshakes, flavored milks, and sweetened yogurt drinks. The move is part of a broader effort to combat obesity, a major public health concern in the UK.
According to Dr. Kawther Hashem, a nutritionist who lobbied the UK government to introduce the sugar tax, the impact of sugar on public health cannot be overstated. “Actually, in the UK, it’s the main reason why children would be admitted to hospital,” she told CBS News. Hashem explained that the biggest contributor to sugar intake was soft drinks, making them a logical target for the tax.
How the Sugar Tax Works
The British sugar tax, which went into effect in 2018, imposes a levy of up to 30 cents per liter on drinks with 8 grams or more of sugar per 100 milliliters. Rather than passing the cost on to consumers, many manufacturers have chosen to reduce the sugar content of their products to avoid the tax. As a result, the British versions of popular drinks are now significantly different from their US counterparts, with many containing artificial sweeteners like aspartame instead of sugar.
The UK Department of Health and Social Care announced that the tax would be expanded to include milk-based drinks, with a threshold of 4.5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters. Companies have until January 2028 to comply with the new requirements. The government expects manufacturers to reduce the sugar content of their products to avoid the tax, just as they did with soft drinks.
A Model for Success
The sugar tax has already shown promising results. A 2023 study by University of Cambridge researchers found that the tax prevents 5,000 cases of obesity per year among 10- and 11-year-old girls alone. Jules Dunlop, an American mother living in the UK, has noticed a difference in the food options available to her family. “If we’re comparing junk food to junk food, automatically in the UK you’re going to get a healthier version of what’s available to you in the United States,” she said.
Dunlop, who is not a health enthusiast, noted that she “would never know the difference” in taste between the same drink in the US and UK. She credits the reduced sugar intake with giving her more energy and clearer skin. “Just being able to have that baseline of less sugar here has made such a difference,” she said.
While some US cities have introduced their own sugar taxes, a national policy is needed to encourage manufacturers to change their formulas. The UK’s approach serves as a model for other countries looking to reduce sugar intake and combat obesity. For more information on the UK’s sugar tax, visit Here
Image Source: www.cbsnews.com
