The tax has been put in place to help curb obesity levels, as one in three children leaves primary school overweight. The Treasury says recipe alterations have already cut out 45 million kilograms of sugar per year.
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Brits will be paying higher prices for some soft drinks after the country's sugar tax on the sweet beverages came into effect on Friday.
Announced in March 2016, the tax has already seen more than 50 percent of manufacturers modify their products to ensure they are below the levy's sugar limit, Britain's Treasury said.
"Our teenagers consume nearly a bathtub of sugary drinks each year on average, fueling a worrying obesity trend in this country," Public Health Minister Steve Brine said.
"The soft drinks industry levy is ground-breaking policy that will help to reduce sugar intake, whilst funding sports programs and nutritious breakfast clubs for children," Brine added.
Coke and Pepsi to stay the same
Companies will pay 24 pence (27 euro cents, 33 US cents) per liter of drink if it contains 8 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters and 18 pence per liter of drink if it contains between 5–8 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters.
Because of manufacturers' efforts to reformulate their product, the Treasury now expects the levy to raise only about £240 million (€275.5 million, $338 million) in its first year, less than half the previous estimate of £520 million.
Soft drink producers such as Coca-Cola, Britvic and Lucozade Ribena Suntory have amended their recipes, but with more than 10 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters, Coca-Cola Classic — the nation's top-selling branded soft drink — and Pepsi are both subject to the tax.
Retailers Tesco, Asda and Morrisons have also modified their own-brand soft drinks to be below the levy's threshold.
Bitter truth about sugar
Sugar is tasty, but not exactly good for you. Consumption of the sugary stuff is rising, and that’s having an impact on health. The WHO has warned of a “global epidemic.” Here are a few facts you really should know.
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Sugar makes you fat!
Sugar is converted to fat in the body about two to five times more quickly than starches. In other words, when we consume sugar, we’re feeding our fat cells. The fructose in sugar is also metabolized by the liver, which can contribute to fatty liver disease. That can promote insulin resistance and lead to Type 2 diabetes – with a lifelong impact on your health.
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Sugar affects your mood!
In small amounts, sugar promotes the release of serotonin, a hormone that boosts mood. But too much sugar can promote depression and anxiety. Sudden shifts in blood sugar levels can also lead to irritability, anxiety and mood swings.
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Sugar contributes to aging!
We already know that sugar has a variety of health effects, but it also affects the skin. That’s in part due to glycation, the process whereby sugar molecules bind to collagen fibers. As a result, the collagen fibers lose their natural elasticity. Excess sugar also damages microcirculation, which slows cell turnover. That can promote the development of wrinkles, make you look older than your age.
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Sugar is harmful to your gut!
The microflora of your gut promote digestion and protect your digestive system from harmful bacteria. Consuming too much sugar gets your gut microflora out of whack. Fungi and parasites love sugar. An excess of the Candida albicans yeast can lead to a host of annoying health symptoms. And sugar also contributes to constipation, diarrhea and gas.
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Sugar can be addictive!
In overweight people, the brain responds to sugar by releasing dopamine, in much the same way that it responds to alcohol or other addictive substances. Test it yourself: avoid all sugary foods and beverages for ten days. If you start to get headachy and irritable after a day or two, and start craving sugar, then you could be suffering from sugar withdrawal.
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Sugar makes you aggressive!
People who consume excess sugar are more likely to engage in aggressive behavior. Children with ADHD are also affected by sugar. For these children, too much sugar affects concentration and promotes hyperactivity. That’s why it’s a good idea for children to avoid eating sugar during school hours.
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Sugar weakens the immune system!
Excessive sugar consumption makes it harder for the immune system to ward off disease. After consuming sugar, the immune system’s ability to kill germs is reduced by up to 40 percent. Sugar also saps the body’s store of vitamin C, which white blood cells need to fight off viruses and bacteria. Sugar also promotes the inflammatory response, and even minor inflammation can trigger numerous diseases.
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Sugar promotes Alzheimer’s disease!
Studies have shown that excess sugar consumption increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. A 2013 study showed that insulin resistance and high blood sugar values – both of which are common in diabetes – are associated with a higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
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Sugar increases cancer risk!
Cancer cells need sugar to proliferate. An international research team headed by Lewis Cantley of Harvard Medical School is researching how sugar might contribute to the growth of malignant cells. He believes that refined sugar may be what causes cancer cells to develop into tumors. He’s still testing that hypothesis but recommends that even slender people consume as little sugar as possible.
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Sugar makes you stupid!
Excess sugar consumption may have a negative impact on memory. According to a study carried out by Berlin’s Charité University Hospital, people with high blood sugar levels have a smaller hippocampus – the part of the brain that’s key to long term memory. In the study, people with high blood sugar also performed more poorly on tests of memory than those with low blood sugar levels.
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Brine said that while the progress made so far on the UK's obesity plan is promising, "with one in three children still leaving primary school overweight or obese, we have not ruled out doing more in future."
The proposal came from Foodwatch, a Berlin-based group that exposes food-industry practices that are not in the interests of consumers.
"It may be that this results in lower sugar content in some products, but that does not automatically apply to the overall calorie content," Kloeckner said.
Britain's former Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, who first revealed the tax policy during his time in office, said he believes milk drinks with a high sugar content could be targeted next.
"I suspect the sugar tax will start to be extended to things like milk products, which I was nervous of going into in the first instance because I wanted to establish the case for a sugar tax," he told BBC television program Newsnight.
The UK's soft drink sugar tax follows in the footsteps of countries including France, Norway and Mexico.
