David Cameron has rejected the idea of imposing a tax on sugary food and drinks, as suggested by a government-commissioned report on childhood obesity, a spokesperson for No. 10 said.
The report by Public Health England (PHE) – which was published online on Thursday – says that adding a 20% tax to high-sugar foods and drinks would help curb people's addiction to sugar.
It was originally due to be published in July but was delayed by the Department of Health while the government was formulating its plan on tackling childhood obesity.
The government recommends that people get less than 5% of their daily energy intake from sugar, but PHE found that people are actually getting around 12-15% of their daily energy intake from sugar.
"We are eating too much sugar and it is bad for our health," the report begins, before warning that "consuming too many foods and drinks high in sugar can lead to weight gain and related health problems, as well as tooth decay".
Excess sugar consumption is a contributing factor to obesity, which costs the NHS £5.1 billion every year, the report says. Twenty-five per cent of adults are obese, it says, as are 10% of 4- to 5-year-olds and 19% of of 10- to 11-year olds.
The report attacks supermarket promotions that "nudge us towards over-consumption", noting that discounted products account for around 40% of spending on food and drink consumed at home.
"Food is now more readily available, more heavily marketed, promoted and advertised and, in real terms, is much cheaper than ever before," it says.
PHE hopes that a tax on high-sugar products will deter people from bulk-buying low-priced, unhealthy food.
Earlier this week, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver appeared before a parliamentary committee to urge the government to introduce this measure and criticised lack of clarity in food labelling.
But a spokesperson for No. 10 said on Thursday that David Cameron did not support a sugar tax.
"The prime minister thinks there are more effective ways of tackling this issue than putting a tax on sugar," the spokesperson told reporters, citing evidence from PHE that there was no single solution to tackling the problem of obesity. The spokesperson said, however, that Cameron was yet to read this report.
In a statement, the Department of Health told BuzzFeed News:
This Government is committed to turning the tide on childhood obesity. That is why we are developing a comprehensive strategy looking at all the factors, including sugar consumption, that contribute to a child becoming overweight and obese. This will be published in the new year.
We are working closely with PHE, and their evidence on sugar reduction is integral to our policy development to support our childhood obesity strategy — that's why we commissioned it.
A controversial soda tax was introduced last year in California and later New York despite soft drink manufacturers spending over $10,000,000 to fund campaigners opposing it.