Sugar beat...

Tax sparks healthier soft drinks shake-up

WHEN you guzzle your favourite soft drink today, you might notice it costs more or doesn’t taste quite as it once did.

That’s because the sugar tax has come into force, aimed at tackling our obesity crisis.

The industry has responded by changing recipes, slashing the sugar content in many top-selling brands to fall below the levy.

Producers will have to pay 18p a litre if soft drinks have 5g or more of sugar per 100ml, rising to 24p for 8g of sugar or above.

Fizzy drinks, some tonic waters, energy drinks and alcohol-free shandies will be affected. Pure fruit juices are exempt.

Britvic, which owns Robinsons, Tango, J2O and Drench, says 94% of its drinks are now under the levy. Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Co-op own-label brands also fall below the

threshold. Tesco says it will cut more than nine billion calories from customers’ diets every year.

Some makers, however, are prepared to risk increasing their prices by sticking to their current formula. Original recipe Coke remains unchanged. A spokeswoman said: “If people want a Coke without sugar, we have Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, which won’t be subject to tax.”

But a 1.75ltr bottle of Coca-Cola has shrunk to 1.5ltr and the price has increased by 20p. A 500ml bottle rises from £1.09 to £1.25.

Olly Wehring, of website just-drinks, says companies have been “caught between a rock and a hard place” when it comes to price versus taste.

Caroline Bovey, of the British Dietetic Association, said: “The levy is positive but it isn’t a silver bullet that’s going to solve our obesity problem.” Here’s the sugar content of popular brands.... Tell us what you think at yourvoice@ mirror.co.uk