The RCP welcomes the government’s announcement of the introduction of a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks, which has been included in the 2016 Queen's Speech.
Professor John Wass, the RCP’s obesity lead, said:
The RCP welcomes the sugar tax announcement in today’s Queens Speech. High sugar consumption is a major contributor to the obesity crisis in the UK.
With more than 60% of adults and 20% of reception-aged children in England already overweight or obese, it is vital that we all take concerted action to tackle this growing problem. The sugar tax is just one measure to begin to tackle what is a very complex problem.