Milkshakes and lattes will be hit with a sugar tax for the first time in a bid to tackle obesity, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said.<\/p>\n
The levy will apply to packaged drinks, not those made in cafes and restaurants.<\/p>\n
Mr Streeting<\/a><\/strong> confirmed the measure in the Commons on Tuesday, telling MPs: “Obesity 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 “So, I can announce to the house we’re expanding the soft drinks industry levy to include bottles and cartons of milkshakes, flavoured milk and milk substitute drinks.”<\/p>\n Milk-based drinks are currently exempt from the soft drinks levy, also known as a sugar tax.<\/p>\n This came into force in 2018 and applies to drinks with at least 5g of sugar per 100ml.<\/p>\n Mr Streeting said that as well as extending the levy to milk-based products, the government will lower the threshold at which it can apply – to 4.5g of sugar per 100ml.<\/p>\n He said: “This government will not look away as children get unhealthier and our political opponents urge us to leave them behind.”<\/p>\n There has been a 46% reduction in sugar in fizzy drinks since the original tax came into force, with 89% of soft drinks sold in the UK now not paying the charge due to reformulation.<\/p>\n Modelling studies have found that this may have prevented thousands of cases of childhood obesity and reduced tooth decay.<\/p>\n However, the Labour government said UK sugar intakes remain about double the recommended level and launched a consultation in April to extend the tax.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n