There's a problem in the food industry.

It's cheaper to buy food packed full of sugar than healthy food that’s not. Everyone loves to enjoy their favourite sweet treats, so consumption of sugary food isn't set to change any time soon. This is contributing to the obesity crisis in the UK where, per National Statistics, 58% of women and 68% of men are overweight or obese.

Unless we do something and create change.

Yes, the sugar tax is a step forward. But instead of punishing sugar intake, it would be more effective to incentivise the consumption of healthier foods by making it cheaper for us all to buy.

We are petitioning the government to cut VAT to the reduced rate of 5% on all foods and drinks with a reduced / low / free from added sugar / sugar free / low or no calorie / claim. Reductions from the standard 20% rate are typically granted when there is a social benefit for doing so. There is a clear benefit here.

Reducing VAT on products with reduced sugar (at least 30% less than comparable products), low sugar (5% or less for solids / 2.5% for liquids), free from added sugar (less than 5% calories from free sugars and no added sugar), sugar free (0.5g per 100g or 100ml) and low calorie (4kcal per portion) would be simple to implement and give more people access to healthy foods whilst also encouraging food producers to innovate in lower sugar alternatives.

Your signature will help us to deliver this petition to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond. This will be a step forward in making it cheaper for us all to buy foods that contain significantly less sugar.

#DontTaxHealthy
www.donttaxhealthy.org