In the past 15 years, lots of things have been done to marginalise smoking.
Reducing branding on packaging, banning smoking inside… and it’s worked. Now, it looks like sugar intake is going to slowly be marginalised as well. As you may know, sugary drinks are already taxed. Now a leading think tank has even suggested sweets, snacks and sugary drinks should be wrapped in plain packaging to make them less appealing, especially to children, given the excess consumption of it.
The director of the IPPR believes this packaging change could make a massive difference.
“Plain packaging would help us all to make better choices and reduce the hassle of pester power for busy parents,” he said.
He also believes that a number, if not all, junk food advertisements should be banned. The food industry was obviously quick to object, with trade body the Food and Drink Federation arguing that branding is a “fundamental commercial freedom” and “critical to competition”.
The government has shown support of these “plain packaging ideas” and believe that they will have a significant effect on sugar intake, hopefully reducing it.
