Business
Milkshakes and lattes to be included in UK sugar tax in bid to tackle obesity
Pre-packaged milkshakes and lattes are set to be included in the existing sugar tax, the Health Secretary has confirmed.
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Wes Streeting announced the government’s intention to remove the current exemption for milk-based beverages from the levy on sugary drinks.
This expansion will target pre-packaged milkshakes and coffees, though drinks prepared fresh in cafes and restaurants will remain unaffected.
Mr Streeting emphasised the public health imperative to MPs, stating: “Obesity robs children of the best possible start in life, hits the poorest hardest, sets them up for a lifetime of health problems and costs the NHS billions.”
“So I can announce to the House, we’re expanding the soft drinks industry levy to include bottles and cartons of milkshakes, flavoured milk and milk substitute drinks.”
Mr Streeting told MPs the Government would reduce the maximum amount of sugar allowed in drinks to 4.5g of sugar per 100ml.
“Mr Speaker, this Government will not look away as children get unhealthier, and our political opponents urge us to leave them behind,” he said.
Plain, unsweetened milk and milk-alternative drinks are not included in the levy. Companies have until January 1 2028 to remove sugar or face the new charge.
It follows a Government consultation on the issue looking at removing the exemption for milk-based drinks.
The exemption for milk substitute drinks with “added sugars” beyond those sugars derived from the principal ingredient, such as oats or rice, was also examined.
The sugar tax, also known as the soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), is a tax on pre-packaged drinks such as those sold in cans and cartons in supermarkets.
It applies to manufacturers and was introduced by the Conservative government in 2018 to help drive down obesity, including among children.
According to the Treasury, children’s sugar intake in the UK is more than double the recommended maximum of no more than 5% energy from free sugar.
The existing levy has led to a 46% average reduction in sugar between 2015 and 2020 for those soft drinks that were to be brought under the rules.
Health minister Karin Smyth told Times Radio on Tuesday that “obesity is the major challenge of our health service for this generation”.
Asked whether tackling obesity was more important than raising revenue, she said any tax measures would be set out in the Budget but “the wider point is about tackling obesity, which we know is one of the biggest causes of ill health, and therefore demand on the health service”.
She added: “Measures we’ve already announced as part of the manifesto, to reduce junk food advertising, particularly to protect young people from becoming obese, because if you become obese at a young age, it does limit your life chances…
“Obesity is the major challenge of our health service for this generation, and it is important that we make sure that we create the healthiest young generation of children coming forward.”
According to the Department of Health, the change could cut 17 million calories a day from the nation’s daily intake, helping to prevent cancer, heart disease and stroke, and take pressure off the NHS.
Mr Streeting said in a statement: “An unhealthy start to life holds kids back from day one, especially those from poor backgrounds like mine.
“We’re on a mission to raise the healthiest generation of children ever, and that means taking on the biggest drivers of poor health.”
The Government said businesses have consistently experienced increased sales of drinks over the time period of the existing sugar tax.
These products recorded a 13.5% rise in volume sales (litres) between 2015 and 2024, it said.
The new plans are expected to reduce daily calorie intake by around four million in children and 13 million in adults across England.
The Government said this could prevent almost 14,000 cases of adult obesity and nearly 1,000 cases of childhood obesity.
Katharine Jenner, executive director at Obesity Health Alliance, said: “Ending the exemption for sugary milkshakes and bringing more sugary soft drinks into the levy is a sensible and long-overdue step to protect children’s health – especially their teeth.
“The soft drinks industry levy has already removed billions of teaspoons of sugar from the nation’s diet without harming industry growth, proving that clear, consistent rules are effective.
“We now urge the Government to press on with implementing the rest of its NHS 10-year plan for health – helping to rebuild a food environment that supports children’s health rather than undermines it.”
Dr Kawther Hashem, head of research and impact at Action on Salt and Sugar, said: “Lowering the threshold from 5g to 4.5g per 100ml is a positive step, and expanding the levy to include milk-based drinks is particularly important.
“Some milkshakes still contain more sugar than a can of full-sugar cola, yet they have been allowed to sit outside a levy specifically designed to reduce high sugar content.
“Closing this loophole finally ensures that all high-sugar drinks are treated consistently, regardless of their ingredients.
“However, we had hoped the Government would go further. The consultation explored reducing the minimum sugar threshold to 4g, so it’s unclear why this has now risen to 4.5g.
“Our own submission showed a median sugar content of 4.2g/100ml in soft drinks. We found nearly three-quarters of drinks already fall below 4g/100ml, so today’s decision misses an opportunity to drive further meaningful reformulation.”
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Business
Hair oil, ACs, soaps become costlier: How FMCG companies are dealing with Middle East supply blow – The Times of India
Consumer goods companies in India are facing a sharp rise in input costs due to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Surging raw material prices are forcing firms to track costs on a near-daily basis, review pricing frequently, and focus on short-term decisions instead of long-term planning.As firms are struggling with volatile input costs, company executives have told ET that the sudden spike in inflation has made it harder to manage business, while also raising concerns that higher prices could hurt consumer demand. This comes at a time when consumption had started improving after the government reduced goods and services tax rates on several products last September.Havells India chief executive officer Anil Rai Gupta was cited by the financial agency as saying that the company is taking a cautious approach and reviewing the situation month by month. “I have not seen this kind of price escalation in the recent past or in recent memory. Usually, inflation happens, but it is neither so steep nor spread across all product categories… consumer offtake can get affected if the price hike is too sharp.” Bajaj Consumer Care managing director Naveen Pandey said the company is closely tracking input costs and taking decisions almost daily. Speaking during the company’s earnings call last week, he said costs across the business have gone up between 20% and 60%. He added that the war has created “extreme volatility” in the prices of light liquid paraffin and packaging materials. At the same time, prices of mustard and copra have not fallen as expected and are still at pre-war levels. The company is working on cutting costs across its operations.Industry executives said the war has pushed up commodity prices and crude-linked products, increased freight costs, and made imports more expensive due to the fall in rupee. They added that even after a ceasefire, prices have not come down, and uncertainty remains over whether the conflict could start again.In the past month, companies have already raised prices in several categories, including air-conditioners, refrigerators, soaps, detergents, hair oil, apparel, decorative paints and footwear. Some companies have also reduced pack sizes to deal with higher costs. More price hikes are expected by the end of this month.Parle Products vice president Mayank Shah said the pressure on input costs is very high and the uncertainty is “killing”.Retailers are also seeing more careful spending. Trent Ltd, which runs Westside and Zudio stores, said in an investor presentation that while demand was steady at the start of the January–March quarter, the current situation is affecting consumer behaviour.“Consumers are spending with caution, resulting in moderation of discretionary spending on the back of continuing macro uncertainties and potential increase in cost of living. Structurally the demand levels and the underlying market opportunities remain strong. However, the duration and intensity of disruptions in the Middle East along with its second order effect on supply chain, commodity prices and inflation in general has potential implications for near term demand,” the company said.AWL Agri Business executive deputy chairman Angshu Mallick said the company has already increased edible oil prices by Rs 7–10 per kg to pass on higher freight costs. “Being a staples company, we hike or reduce prices immediately. As we are in basic necessities, the volume impact is usually lower,” he said.Meanwhile, the Middle East conflict is inching closer towards the two month mark. The conflict began back on February 28, when the US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran. In retaliation, Tehran choked the crucial Strait of Hormuz, a pipeline that carries 20% of global energy supplies, straining flow across the globe.
UK retail sales returned to growth last month as they were pushed higher by motorists stocking up on fuel as prices shot higher because of the Iran war, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the total volume of retail sales, which measures the quantity bought, rose by 0.7% in March.
It compared with a 0.6% fall in February, which was revised slightly lower.
The latest reading was also stronger than expected, with economists having predicted a 0.1% dip for the month.
Statisticians said March’s increase was particularly driven by a spike in demand for fuel, which saw sales volumes jump by 6.1% for the month, the highest level since April 2021.
They indicated that this was especially linked to a short period, of less than a week, of particularly elevated sales as unfolding geopolitical events in the Middle East caused a significant rise in prices at the pump.
The value of sales, the amount of money spent, for fuel was up 11.6% amid the jump in petrol and diesel prices.
Recent data from the RAC shows that petrol prices have risen by 18.5% to 157.34 pence per litre, as recorded on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, diesel is up 33.4% to an average of 189.88 pence per litre.
Elsewhere, clothing stores also had a strong month, with sales volumes across the category rising by 1.2% in March amid a boost from better weather conditions.
Technology retailers also saw sales grow after they benefited from new products launches.
However, food sales were weaker, slipping by 0.8% for the month.
The ONS said overall retail sales volumes are up 1.6% for the first three months of 2026, as the industry was also supported by positive growth in January.
ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: “Retail sales rose in the three months to March, with commercial art galleries doing well earlier in the quarter and sales in beauty products stores rising as retailers reported launching new collections.
“Motor fuel sales were up on the quarter, with retailers commenting that many motorists had been filling up their tanks in March following the start of conflict in the Middle East.”
Elliott Jordan-Doak, senior UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said: “The first batch of hard data on consumers’ spending since the start of the Iran war was better than expected.
“Granted, stocking up on motor fuels drove headline sales higher, but even excluding petrol retail sales volumes nudged up showing that households largely brushed off the initial shock of higher energy prices.”
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