The British Medical Association, however, has expressed disappointment that the government has failed to introduce a ban on junk food advertising

Britain yesterday launched a strategy aimed at curbing childhood obesity by taxing companies which sell sugar-laced soft drinks and investing that money in programmes to encourage physical activity and balanced diets for school children.

Urging food and drinks firms to act swiftly to cut sugar in their products, the government said nearly a third of children aged two to 15 in Britain are already overweight or obese.

“Obesity is a threat both to the health of children and to our economy, costing the NHS (National Health Service) billions of pounds every year,” Financial Secretary Jane Ellison said .

“The soft drinks industry levy is an important step forward in the fight to halt our obesity crisis and create a Britain fit for the future.”

In opting for a sugar tax, Britain joins Belgium, France, Hungary and Mexico, all of which have imposed some form of tax on drinks with added sugar.

Scandinavian countries have levied similar taxes, with varying degrees of success, for many years.

Britain’s plans will see a levy applied to drinks with a total sugar content above five grams per 100ml, with a higher band for even more sugary drinks.

But Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said the levy was a “punitive tax” that would “cause thousands of job losses and yet fail to have a meaningful impact on levels of obesity”.

In opting for a sugar tax, Britain joins Belgium, France, Hungary and Mexico, all of which have imposed some form of tax on drinks with added sugar”

The UK government’s health department says sugary drinks are the single biggest source of sugar for children, and a child can have more than their recommended daily intake just by drinking a can of cola which contains nine teaspoons of sugar.

It said it wanted the industry to work towards a 20 per cent cut in the sugar used in products popular with children, including a five per cent reduction in the first year.

Progress made by the industry will be reviewed by the government’s health agency, Public Health England, which will publish updates every six months.

Public Health Minister Nicola Blackwood said the obesity-busting strategy would also include asking primary schools to help every pupil get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. At least 30 minutes of this should be during school time, she said.

Meanwhile, leading doctors have expressed their bitter disappointment that the government failed to introduce curbs on junk food advertising in its plan for tackling childhood obesity.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said children are bombarded with marketing for foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fats.

It criticised the government for failing to introduce measures under its much-anticipated Childhood Obesity Plan.

Commenting on the release of the document, Parveen Kumar, chairwoman of the BMA’s board of science, said: “Given the UK has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe with one in three children overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, the government should be doing everything in its power to tackle this problem.

“Instead it has rowed back on its promises by announcing what looks like a weak plan rather than the robust strategy it promised.