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Jamie’s Sugar Rush on Channel 4
Jamie’s Sugar Rush on Channel 4 will show the chef’s attempts to persuade ministers we need a tax on sugar. Photograph: Pro Co/CHANNEL 4 PICTURE PUBLICITY
Jamie’s Sugar Rush on Channel 4 will show the chef’s attempts to persuade ministers we need a tax on sugar. Photograph: Pro Co/CHANNEL 4 PICTURE PUBLICITY

Jamie Oliver's sugar tax campaign joined by Abokado

This article is more than 8 years old

TV chef hopes to persuade government over proposed 20% levy on sweet drinks, which he says would lower demand and raise funds to fight obesity

The TV chef Jamie Oliver’s drive for a tax on sugar has gained further momentumwith the restaurant chain Abokado announcing it is joining the campaign.

Oliver said last week at the preview of his Channel 4 documentary, Jamie’s Sugar Rush, that he would institute his own “sugar tax” on customers ordering sweet drinks such as colas and lemonades in his restaurants. He organised a meeting, seen in the film, to try to persuade other restaurateurs to follow suit.

John Vincent, of the Leon chain and one of the architects of the School Food Plan, was the first to join up. Abokadohas now joined in and there are talks ongoing with others.

Mark Lilley, director of Abokado, which has 26 stores across London, said: “We’re proud to be supporting Jamie in this campaign. It’s essential that we raise awareness of the dangers of consuming too much sugar, particularly amongst children.

“When Jamie explained to me firsthand how widespread the shocking consequences of excessive sugar consumption are amongst children, it was clear to me that we had to act.”

The additional charge of 10p on all drinks containing sugar will be donated to the Children’s Health Fund, the brainchild of Oliver, which will be administered by the charity Sustain and support healthy food initiatives in schools across the country.

The news comes as Oliver launched a petition to No 10 Downing Street, calling on the government to implement a national sugar tax. If the petition gets more than 100,000 signatures, the government must consider the issue in parliament.

“I’ve spoken to some of the brightest people in the medical world over the last few years and they all agree that action is urgently needed if we don’t want the NHS to crumble completely because of the costs of diet-related disease like type-2 diabetes. One doctor recently told me that diet-related disease is one of the defining crises of our time. We need the government to step up,” said Oliver.

Many public health experts support the call for a 20% tax on sugary drinks, which they believe would reduce consumption, as even a 10% tax has in Mexico, which has one of the world’s worst obesity problems and high rates of type 2 diabetes. The tax could raise £1bn, according to Sustain, which should be spent in initiative to prevent childhood obesity and diet-related disease.

Malcolm Clark, coordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, which comes under the Sustain umbrella, said: “Jamie has thrown down a simple challenge: increase the price of sugary drinks, to encourage families to switch away from buying them, and for the money raised to pay for programmes which will benefit children’s health and the environment they grow up in.

“We encourage people to follow the lead not only of Jamie but of many doctors, dentists, dieticians and other public health experts in backing the call for a 20p-per-litre duty on sugary drinks and signing the petition asking the government to introduce it.”

However, the Food and Drink Federation, which is against a tax, hit out at the three restaurant chains for not participating in the government’s “responsibility deal”, which has been criticised by public health experts because the big food manufacturers, retailers and restaurants are invited to make pledges which are only voluntary.

Ian Wright, FDF director general, said: “We applaud Jamie Oliver’s personal commitment to improving public health. Most of us in the food industry have a similar commitment. We agree that change is needed.

“I do find it inconsistent that the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group and Leon Restaurant Groups, neither of which provide nutrition labelling on in-store menus or support government’s drive to reduce calories, have chosen to tax customers choosing soft drinks.

“Additional burdensome taxes on foods or drinks, on top of the already enforced 20% VAT on most foods, would be regressive, ineffective and unworkable. They are rejected by the public. This complex challenge needs a complex solution, one which involves and empowers people, not taxes them.”

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