The government’s long-delayed childhood obesity strategy is set to be finally published tomorrow, with proposals for the soft drinks levy set to be at the heart of it.
Prime minister Theresa May has decided to press ahead with the strategy to show that it is “business as usual”, said sources.
However, the strategy looks set to cause a massive row with health campaigners, who fear it will not be tough enough.
Although the document is set to be accompanied by the launch of a Treasury consultation on plans to implement the controversial sugar levy, despite industry calls for it to be shelved, campaigners claim the remainder of the document has been watered down massively from David Cameron’s original plans.
Sources said the strategy would come up with reformulation targets for the remainder of the top 10 sectors contributing to sugar intake, believed to be a 20% reduction by 2020.
However, soft drinks will not be included and the measures are thought to be purely voluntary.
One industry source said: “The government has decided to put the sugar levy front and centre of the strategy as this way it can try to turn around to people like Jamie Oliver and say it is being tough and has listened to their calls. However, the fact is the reason they are doing it is because to be frank the rest of it has been watered down and is pretty weak.”
This week a group of 15 health organisations wrote to May calling for an emergency meeting to discuss the plans, warning it would be an “unforgivable missed opportunity” if the plans did not have enough teeth.
They want the government to regulate on promotions of so-called junk food in supermarkets.
However, sources say the government has stopped short of such a plan, after supermarket bosses warned they would walk away from the table if such proposals were mooted.
Campaigners, including Action on Sugar, the Children’s Food Campaign and the National Obesity Forum, said the government needed to take “urgent action” to achieve change where voluntary measures under the Responsibility Deal had failed.
Despite the likely anger from health groups, the food and drink industry is also unhappy having earlier this week launched a major campaign to try to kill the sugar levy before it can get off the ground.
More than a dozen trade associations and companies representing thousands of businesses across the UK called on May to ditch the levy, claiming it would do little to tackle obesity but would lead to higher prices for the public and thousands of job losses.
Organisations involved in the campaign - dubbed Face the Facts, Can the Tax - include the British Soft Drinks Association, the FDF and the NFU.
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