Brighton Becomes the First City to Impose a �Sugar Tax' to Tackle Obesity in UK

In the battle against diabetes and childhood obesity, a voluntary 'sugar tax' has been imposed on sugary drinks in Brighton, United Kingdom.

A ten pence tax has been imposed in restaurants, cafes and shops. Brighton and Hove is the first in the UK to take such action.

An adult's daily consumption should be just only seven sugar lumps. But a can of coke can contains over ten sugar lumps. Even, a glass of orange juice has five sugar lumps.

More than 300 children were admitted to hospital in Brighton and Hove to have teeth removed. The NHS spends �80 million pounds a year on treating diet-related diseases in the area.

Food campaigner Jamie Oliver is inviting food outlets in Brighton and Hove, from restaurants to takeaways, to adopt a voluntary 10p sugar levy on soft drinks with added sugar. That money will go to The Children's Health Fund, set up by Oliver and Sustain, a charity working in health and food education.

Source: Medindia