Dental Group Calls for Ban on Fizzy Drinks for Under 6s
Dental Wellness Trust, one of the leading charities that tackles dental hygiene issues in less economically developed countries, has called for an age restriction on all fizzy drinks, banning them for children under six years old.
The British non-governmental organisation wants a ban outright on children under six drinking fizzy and high sugar drinks, and rules banning them from being sold in shops to children under the age of twelve.
This call comes in the wake of the recently enacted Soft Drinks Industry Levy, known more colloquially as the “Sugar Tax”, which claims 18p per litre on fizzy and soft drinks that contain between 5 and 7 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres, as well as 24p per litre of drinks over 8 grams per 100 millilitres.
The Dental Wellness Trust has praised the government’s efforts with the “sugar tax”, however it also has called for other “bold and brave” health policies to complement it in order to protect the dental and physical health of children in Britain, and believes the age restriction would be an effective, fast and impactful way to affect children’s health.
The proposal is not unlike the scheme undertaken by a number of supermarkets to restrict the sale of energy drinks and stop children under the age of 16 from buying them.
Currently under the levy, Milkshakes are exempt, however the man who announced the initiative, former Chancellor George Osbourne, has expressed his belief that the levy will extend to sugary milk products.
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