‘Tax on meat to save lives & boost NHS’

A TAX on processed and red meat could save 6,000 lives a year, experts say.

It could also save the NHS £70million by cutting heart disease, diabetes and cancer rates, it is claimed.

But the levy would raise the cost of staples like bangers and bacon by 79%.

And steak, minced beef, lamb chops and gammon joints would rise 14%.

Dr Marco Springmann, of Oxford University’s Department of Population Health, said: “A health levy on red and processed meat would send a signal to consumers and take pressure off our healthcare.”

Experts fear eating red and processed meat will cause 2.4 million deaths a year globally by 2020.