Sugar Tax

[John B]

Do you think the government has gone far enough? Or is this tax even fair?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38212608

[Tom32]

It makes no sense, the tax misses out sugary milk drinks and fruit juices, which leads one to wonder what is the point of the tax? What are they trying to accomplish?

[Alison66]

It is suggested that this tax will bring in an extra £550million for the year 2017-18, and a similar amount thereafter. So what will the money go on? I also see there is a two their tax system based on the levels of sugar in the drinks.

Fruit juices miss out because the sugar content is natural, and not added. The milky drinks are okay, because people benefit from the calcium in the milk.

Won't this just mean that the market will be flooded with sugar free, low sugar, diet drinks, which are just as bad for your health as the full fat versions.

[Tony]

It makes no sense, the tax misses out sugary milk drinks and fruit juices, which leads one to wonder what is the point of the tax? What are they trying to accomplish?

To be seen to doing something even though it probably will not achieve it's (stated) aim.

[Alison66]

To be seen to doing something even though it probably will not achieve it's (stated) aim.

Do you mean as a PR stunt?

Surely it just adds further confusion to the public about what drinks are acceptable and which are not.

[sophie]

I think it just adds more confusion to everyday folk about what drinks are okay. In my opinion water should be drank if your thirsty, fizzy drinks, milk drinks and fruit juices, cordials etc are all just chemicals or sugar that is just not needed in our diets.

There should be an educational drive to promote knowledge along side these taxation ideas.

[Louise]

Here is a link to a great article about our addiction to sugar https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/05/is-sugar-worlds-most-popular-drug

[Tanya]

It is very difficult not to be addicted to sugar in the society we live in today. Everything has sugar in, so even when you don't actively feed your kinds sugar, they crave it as a result of hidden sugars.

It's hard to control what they eat outside of the home too, kids don't think of water as a drink, they expect something with flavour.

[CharlieH]

'Likewise, sugary milkshake and yogurt drinks will also be excluded.
Ministers were concerned that teenagers, particularly girls, were not getting enough calcium and so taxing these drinks might be counterproductive'

The above statement was taken from the BBC news site, I thought it was widely known that milk is not a good source of calcium, and surely the sugar in the drinks counteracts any health benefits the drink may offer. Will this lead to a flood of flavoured milk drinks on the market, marketed as the healthier option?

[sophie]

Why is it taking so long to introduce the sugar tax? When they do the budget the tax on fuel goes on almost immediately, why wait?

[Esme]

Why is it taking so long to introduce the sugar tax? When they do the budget the tax on fuel goes on almost immediately, why wait?

I agree, they don't hesitate to put tax up on alcohol, fuel and cigarettes on budget day.

The government do not want to upset the big corporations, so giving them plenty of time to make changes.

[Rainbow]

I hope you don't mind me sharing I came across this article on the Mercola (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/24/sugar-brain-function.aspx) site linking high intakes of sugar intake and Alzheimer's, which may explain the rise in this neurological condition. Long term, high intakes of sugar can lead to brain shrinkage, what is so surprising is that parents have been giving their children fizzy drinks from such a young age, more so than was seen during my childhood.

It begs the question what will the rise of Alzheimer's be like in the next 40 years.... frightening!

[Mummy2Two]

Sugar has long been known to cause many health conditions, it comes as no surprise we are seeing an increase in Alzheimer's, dementia, depression etc you have to wonder what is in our food, and why do we not demand better, more affordable healthier food.

I think you are right to wonder what the next 40 years will show with the health of our children.

[Mummy2Two]

I came across this TED talk by Calgary Avansino, she brilliantly highlights the hidden sugars in our daily foods. It is recommended that adults only consume 7 teaspoons of sugar a day, that would mean that by consuming one small can of tomato soup and two small pots of Petit filous you would have exceeded your daily requirement of sugar:eek
Even worse, 1 bottle of fruit flavoured water exceeds the daily recommended sugar intake for an adult!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lnvkNGc6YYM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Tom32]

I came across this TED talk by Calgary Avansino, she brilliantly highlights the hidden sugars in our daily foods. It is recommended that adults only consume 7 teaspoons of sugar a day, that would mean that by consuming one small can of tomato soup and two small pots of Petit filous you would have exceeded your daily requirement of sugar:eek
Even worse, 1 bottle of fruit flavoured water exceeds the daily recommended sugar intake for an adult!

This is a great video, thanks for sharing.
I have to say, i'm really surprised at the fact that flavoured water has so much sugar, would this come under the new sugar tax rules I wonder?

[Louise]

A great reminder on the hidden sugars in our foods. I like the recommendation to think in terms of spoons of sugar rather than grams.
The suggestion being to divide the grams by 4 to give you the sugar content in spoonfuls, for example:

16gms divide by 4 = 4 spoonfuls

I think this is a good visual way to become aware of the sugar in our food.

[Kitkat]

How are companies allowed to sell a drink aimed at the health market knowing that it is loaded with sugar? Disgusting!

[Gwen Jones]

How are companies allowed to sell a drink aimed at the health market knowing that it is loaded with sugar? Disgusting!
because there is no regulation and there is money to be made. Plus there is a lot of 'back-handers' that go on in government.