Tesco, the largest supermarket brand in the UK has decided to ban drinks with added sugar aimed at children.
Reported widely in the British press but originating from the magazine The Grocer (the link at the bottom is from the story reported in the UK newspaper The Independent) Tesco’s decision to ban sugar added drinks from September is prompting both positive and negative reactions.
Apparently this is part of their 10 point plan against Obesity. Whereas I am all for the fight against obesity I must admit to being a bit nervous about supermarkets attempting to make certain choices for us. You could argue why stop there? Why not remove all the sugar coated donuts or hot cross buns from the bakery? Or the whole chocolate bar aisle? And let’s not forget the unease some people have with artificial sweeteners.
On the other hand drinks with added sugar are being blamed as one of the major contributors to childhood obesity and some think that this decision could really help reduce the sugar that some of our children are consuming.
Only time will tell if their campaign works. If you are wondering what the 10 point plan to fight obesity is click on the link to the Grocer magazine.