England takes decisions to fight against obesity and will set up a tax against sodas.
“We will introduce a new tax on the sugary drink industry which will be levied on companies and will be introduced in two years to give them time to change the composition of their products,” said British Finance Minister George Osborne, formalizing the measure when presenting the budget to Parliament, according to AFP.
The tax will apply to beverages containing more than 5 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres. According to the Minister’s estimates, it should bring in more than 520 million pounds (more than 700 million euros). The taxed money will be used to double funds for sports in schools, Osborne said.
In France, the tax brought in 309 million euros in 2014 according to the Ministry of Finance, which expects similar revenues in 2015 and 2016.
Fight sugar, a nuisance for health
Sugar becomes public enemy number 1, because it is responsible for the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes and theobesity.
In order to mobilize the population, the World Health Organization recommends reducing our sugar intake, and that these constitute no more than 5% of our daily caloric intake. Adults should not consume more than 6 sugar cubes per day and children three.
Since a large part of the sugars consumed today are “hidden” in processed foods that are not always considered sweets, it is advisable to avoid industrial sweet and salty preparations.
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