Jamie Oliver launches sugar tax campaign
With the launch of his latest Channel 4 programme ‘Sugar Rush’, Jamie Oliver is taking on a new campaign, calling on the government to impose a tax on sugary foods in order to curb the growing health problems it is causing the nation’s children.
The recent documentary followed the celebrity chef round several cases, as he learned what sugar was doing to our teeth and health, particularly focusing on the younger generation who are currently facing an oral health crisis.
Following the airing of the documentary, Oliver set up an online petition to lobby the government into considering implementing a sugar tax on unhealthy foods. Quickly reaching the 100,000 signatures mark, the matter will now go to a parliamentary debate. The British Dental Association (BDA) lent its support to the petition, as well as furthering the argument by suggesting the recommended daily allowance is lowered, and that action is taken on marketing.
‘Britain is addicted to sugar, and we are all paying the price,’ stated BDA chair Mick Armstrong, who added that Jamie Oliver’s documentary was a ‘stark reminder’ of the damage being done to our health by sugar.
Oliver’s petition claimed that a 7p tax on a regular-sized can of soft drink could generate £1bn a year, which would be put towards helping cut down on the health problems Britain’s children currently face. His own chain of restaurants has already imposed a 10p levy on drinks with added sugar.
However, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has stated that while a parliamentary debate on the matter was welcomed, ‘taxes are not the answer to tackling the obesity issue’, a view shared by the Department of Health. The FDF recently argued that Jamie Oliver was over-simplifying the obesity date, and states that if collaborative action is to be taken on the matter, ‘robust science and evidence’ must be at the heart of the debate.
