Tesco weigh in on obesity crisis
Tesco is axing sugary drinks that target children. This would see some of Britain’s best-selling brands, such as Ribena and Capri-Sun disappear from shelves from September 2015. This move comes after Public Health England published a report entitled ‘Carbohydrates and Health’, calling for a 20% tax on sugary drinks to help combat obesity. David Beardmore, Tesco’s soft drinks director explained that the “supermarket is removing the drinks from its shelves as part of negotiations for a range overhaul of its children’s juice category”. The ban is not across all forms of sugary drinks, the focus will be small cartons and bottles of added sugar drinks that commonly see their way into children’s lunch boxes.
In a statement, regarding the decision, Tesco said: “We want to help our customers make healthier choices and that’s why we have pledged to continue to cut sugar from the food and drink on our shelves. From September all the children’s juice drinks we sell will have no added sugar in them because we know it’ll make a positive difference to children’s health.”
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