Sugar tax

Jamie Oliver wants the government to put a ‘sugar tax’ on fizzy drinks. The well known British TV cook taxes the soft drinks with added sugar in his own restaurants, making them more expensive. In other words, if you want a coke from Jamie, you’ll just have to pay more for it.

PHE report

Jamie Oliver finds it important that people eat healthy food, especially children. He is well known for his programs helping children eat healthy food at school. His opinion on sweetened drinks has been supported by a report from the Public Health England (PHE).

Suggestions

The PHE report wants to make high-sugar drinks more expensive. With the sugar tax, a soft drink will cost you 10 to 20% more. It also wants to control the promotion of these products. For example, no advertisements before 9 o’clock in the evening. Another way is to label cans or bottles clearly. A simple symbol can show you how many teaspoons of sugar are in a drink.

Health problem

There are several reasons why Jamie Oliver and the PHE are letting us know why sugar is not good for us. Sugar has no food value. It is just something we enjoy, a treat. But it is now becoming a health problem. Sugar has been added to so many products. And too much sugar is bad for you. It causes bad teeth, diabetes and child obesity.

Sugar facts

The facts don’t lie. There is far too much sugar in fizzy drinks. Some sugar is alright. For an adult it is six or seven teaspoons a day. And for children, a bit less. But a 330ml can of cola contains already about nine teaspoons. And even worse is an energy drink: 10 spoonfuls!

Next step

But what can you do? You can try not to drink so many soft drinks. Next time you want to buy a sugary drink, read the label, think about the sugar and your health. Look around you. Maybe there is a better drink you can buy.

Source: The Guardian, The Daily Mirror

Words to help you

tax = money that you have to pay to the government

expensive = costing a lot of money

fizzy drink = drink that has bubbles in it

health = condition of somebody’s body or mind