British Prime Minister Liz Truss is preparing to scrap the sugar tax on soft drinks and scrap some anti-obesity measures to ease the country’s cost-of-living crisis, The Times reported on Thursday, citing government sources.
Britain’s finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng has ordered health officials to review measures to combat obesity, which is likely to lead to many of them being scrapped, the newspaper reported.
A ban on buy-one-get-one-free junk food promotions, which was delayed by the government earlier this year due to rising prices, is now unlikely to go ahead, the Times reported.
A ban on the display of candies and chocolate at cash registers, which will come into force next month, has also raised doubts.
In an interview with the Daily Mail in August, Truss said she would scrap plans to limit bulk purchases of foods and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar and would not introduce any new taxes on junk food.
“(People) don’t want the government telling them what to eat,” Truss said.
