Jamie Oliver trial finds tax works on sugary drinks

 Modestly increasing the price of sugar-sweetened drinks substantially lowers the number people buy, a trial in Jamie Oliver’s restaurants suggests.

In 37 Jamie’s Italian outlets, 10p was added to the price of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), starting in Sept 2015. The menus were also redesigned, segregating sugary drinks from other non-alcoholic options and stating that the money raised from the levy would go to a charitable cause.

A study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that the levy of just 3.5 per cent was associated with an 11 per cent drop in sales. The results, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, are the first evidence in the UK of the effect of an SSB and are likely to be welcomed by architects of the Government’s sugar tax, which comes into force next year.

Sugary drinks are believed to account for up to half of the excess calories consumed per day by children. Oliver has criticised the Government for not going far enough in tackling sugar consumption.

Susan Jebb, professor of diet and population health at Oxford University, said the analysis showed “a greater than anticipated fall in sales”.