Poll: Should milk drinks be included in the sugar tax?

The sugar tax on soft drinks comes into force today.
The sugar tax launches today.The sugar tax launches today.
The sugar tax launches today.

From now, manufacturers will have to pay a levy on the high-sugar drinks they sell. Many leading brands have already cut the sugar content in their recipes - while Coca-Cola has pledged to keep its classic recipe the same. Speaking ahead of the launch, former chancellor George Osborne predicted that the sugar tax will eventually be extended to include milk drinks. He told BBC Two's Newsnight: "I suspect the sugar tax will start to be extended to things like milk products, which I was nervous of going into in the first instance, because I wanted to establish the case for a sugar tax."

Osborne unveiled the tax policy when he was in office.

A survey has found that a tax on unhealthy foods, such as this soft drinks levy, would encourage just under half of Britons to cut back on the products.

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Seventy-five per cent of consumers polled said they would be encouraged to cut down on unhealthy food and drink if there was clear nutritional information on product packaging, while 73% claim rewards for making healthy choices, such as supermarket points, would encourage them to shop better.

The analysis was carried out by Mintel.