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A “sugar tax(税)” should be introduced by the UK government to help control obesity in childhood, a campaign group says.
Action on Sugar is a group of experts concerned with sugar and its effects on health. It says one in five children in the UK are now obese, while one in three are overweight, due to eating too much sugar and fat.
The group has put forward a six-point plan to discourage adolescents from consuming foods and soft drinks with high levels of added sugar. The group wants measures brought in to cut added sugar and fat in food and to ban sports sponsorship by “junk food” companies. The Department of Health says it will consider the suggestions.
The six measures include:
●Reduce added sugar in food by 40% by 2020.
●Ban all forms of marketing unhealthy foods and drinks for children.
●Ban sports sponsorship by companies that produce junk food.
●Reduce fat by 15% in ultra-processed foods by 2020.
●Limit the availability of ultra-processed(深加工的) foods and sweetened soft drinks.
●Introduce a sugar tax to support healthier food.
The group’s chairman, Prof Graham MacGregor, says current policies are not working and that obesity can be prevented if the food environment is changed.
Dr Aseem Malhotra, consultant of Action on Sugar, says, “I’m disappointed that food industry continues to spend billions on junk food which usually has a lot of added sugar.”
Earlier this year Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer for England, said a sugar tax might have to be introduced to reduce obesity.
21. According to the passage, Action on Sugar introduces sugar tax in order to ________.
A. change the food environment B. prevent children’s obesity
C. decrease junk foods in the markets D. reduce fat in children’s food
22. We can learn that ________ from the six-point plan in the passage.
A. all the junk food companies should be closed
B. junk food factories should not produce any more
C. any junk food advertisement isn’t allowed at sports
D. all the junk food companies shouldn’t support sports
23. What do you know about Dame Sally Davies?
A. He wrote the six-point plan for Action on Sugar.
B. He thinks some soft drinks contain too much sugar.
C. He worries about the food markets in UK.
D. He is the chief medical officer for UK
