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<\/p>\nPre-packaged milkshakes and lattes will be subject to the sugar tax, the Health Secretary has announced.<\/p>\n
Wes Streeting told the Commons on Tuesday the Government will end the exemption for milk-based beverages from the existing tax on sugary drinks.<\/p>\n
The move will affect products such as packaged milkshakes, coffees and sweetened yoghurt drinks but not drinks made on site in cafes and restaurants.<\/p>\n
Mr Streeting told MPs: \u201cObesity robs children of the best possible start in life, hits the poorest hardest, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems and costs the NHS billions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Drinks made on site in cafes and restaurants will not be affected by the tax (Alamy\/PA)<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I can announce to the House, we\u2019re expanding the soft drinks industry levy to include bottles and cartons of milkshakes, flavoured milk and milk substitute drinks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Streeting told MPs the Government would reduce the maximum amount of sugar allowed in drinks to 4.5g of sugar per 100ml.<\/p>\n
The Government consultation had said ministers were looking at reducing this limit to 4g per 100ml.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr Speaker, this Government will not look away as children get unhealthier, and our political opponents urge us to leave them behind,\u201d Mr Streeting said.<\/p>\n
Plain, unsweetened milk and milk-alternative drinks are not included in the levy.<\/p>\n
Companies have until January 1 2028 to remove sugar or face the new charge.<\/p>\n
Speaking at an event at The King\u2019s Fund, Mr Streeting said: \u201cSome call this levy a \u2018sugar tax\u2019, but quite frankly, I\u2019m more interested in how it helps kids lose pounds than how it helps the Chancellor raise pennies.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, the less this levy raises, the more successful it will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that it is a \u201creal shame that the cross party consensus that once existed on public health has broken\u201d, adding: \u201cYou can\u2019t have it both ways. You can\u2019t oppose tax rises at the same time as opposing measures that reduce cost pressures on the NHS and on the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause if we\u2019re going to keep taxes down, if we\u2019re going to keep waiting lists down, if we\u2019re going to make the NHS sustainable as a free at the point of use system for the longer term, then we have to reduce the rising tide of preventable illness.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sugar tax, also known as the soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), is a tax on pre-packaged drinks such as those sold in cans and cartons in supermarkets.<\/p>\n
It applies to manufacturers and was introduced by the Conservative government in 2018 to help drive down obesity, including among children.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced that the sugar tax will be extended to pre-packaged milkshakes and lattes (PA)<\/p>\n
According to the Treasury, children\u2019s sugar intake in the UK is more than double the recommended maximum of no more than 5% energy from free sugar.<\/p>\n
The existing levy has led to a 46% average reduction in sugar between 2015 and 2020 for those soft drinks that were to be brought under the rules.<\/p>\n
Health minister Karin Smyth told Times Radio on Tuesday that \u201cobesity is the major challenge of our health service for this generation\u201d.<\/p>\n
According to the Department of Health, the change could cut 17 million calories a day from the nation\u2019s daily intake, helping to prevent cancer, heart disease and stroke, and take pressure off the NHS.<\/p>\n
Mr Streeting said in a statement: \u201cAn unhealthy start to life holds kids back from day one, especially those from poor backgrounds like mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re on a mission to raise the healthiest generation of children ever, and that means taking on the biggest drivers of poor health.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Government said businesses have consistently experienced increased sales of drinks over the time period of the existing sugar tax.<\/p>\n
These products recorded a 13.5% rise in volume sales (litres) between 2015 and 2024, it said.<\/p>\n
The new plans are expected to reduce daily calorie intake by around four million in children and 13 million in adults across England.<\/p>\n
The Government said this could prevent almost 14,000 cases of adult obesity and nearly 1,000 cases of childhood obesity.<\/p>\n
Katharine Jenner, executive director at Obesity Health Alliance, said: \u201cEnding the exemption for sugary milkshakes and bringing more sugary soft drinks into the levy is a sensible and long-overdue step to protect children\u2019s health \u2013 especially their teeth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe soft drinks industry levy has already removed billions of teaspoons of sugar from the nation\u2019s diet without harming industry growth, proving that clear, consistent rules are effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now urge the Government to press on with implementing the rest of its NHS 10-year plan for health \u2013 helping to rebuild a food environment that supports children\u2019s health rather than undermines it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Kawther Hashem, head of research and impact at Action on Salt and Sugar, said: \u201cLowering the threshold from 5g to 4.5g per 100ml is a positive step, and expanding the levy to include milk-based drinks is particularly important.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome milkshakes still contain more sugar than a can of full-sugar cola, yet they have been allowed to sit outside a levy specifically designed to reduce high sugar content.<\/p>\n
\u201cClosing this loophole finally ensures that all high-sugar drinks are treated consistently, regardless of their ingredients.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, we had hoped the Government would go further. The consultation explored reducing the minimum sugar threshold to 4g, so it\u2019s unclear why this has now risen to 4.5g.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur own submission showed a median sugar content of 4.2g\/100ml in soft drinks. We found nearly three-quarters of drinks already fall below 4g\/100ml, so today\u2019s decision misses an opportunity to drive further meaningful reformulation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King\u2019s Fund, said: \u201cIt is well known that when government sets clear statutory rules, industry responds fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cFar from limiting freedom for individuals, smart regulations like the milkshake tax expands it, enabling people to live more of their lives in good health.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokeswoman for the Food and Drink Federation said: \u201cWe\u2019re pleased the Government has listened to industry and decided to make the changes to the SDIL that it announced today.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new proposals take into account the costly and technically complex work that companies have to do to bring healthier products to market, and go some way to protecting the investment companies are making to help people follow healthier diets.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrinks manufacturers will continue conversations with Government to ensure we have the right conditions to keep investing in healthier product innovation in the UK, even while the rate of food inflation continues to run so high.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment support and partnership to ensure industry has the research and development investment it needs for healthier product development would help food and drink companies move further and faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, a business expert raised concerns about the effect of the tax on the already-struggling high street and hospitality sector.<\/p>\n
Nick Garside, VAT partner at business advisory firm Menzies, said: \u201cThe milkshake tax is another blow to businesses already drowning in complex taxes and soaring fixed costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this isn\u2019t balanced with meaningful business rates reform for hospitality, leisure, and retail, it\u2019s a clear net negative for growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the levy targets only packaged drinks, not fresh cafe-made shakes, it still shakes up a struggling sector, and piles on administrative burden and cost at a time when margins are already diluted and consumer demand dwindles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: \u201cSupermarkets are working hard to make the food and drink they produce healthier and more affordable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe inclusion of milk-based drinks, which are an important source of calcium for many people, could push up the price of these drinks and put further pressure on British dairy farmers.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pre-packaged milkshakes and lattes will be subject to the sugar tax, the Health Secretary has announced. Wes Streeting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":203732,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[18,112141,135,112142,19,17,112140,508,5382,111810,10440,100607],"class_list":{"0":"post-203731","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-government-consultation","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-health-secretary","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-milk-substitute","15":"tag-nutrition","16":"tag-soft-drinks","17":"tag-sugar-tax","18":"tag-the-government","19":"tag-wes-streeting"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115623954438610825","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}