here’s a new sugar tax at Sheffield International Venues (SIV). This is the ground-breaking move, announced in July, which will see the trust adding a 20 pence charge to all drinks with added sugar sold at cafés and vending machines across its 11 sports and leisure facilities.
In May 2016, then chancellor George Osborne announced a new sugar tax on the soft drinks industry, aimed at high-sugar drinks – a move endorsed by the health community. The tax, however, isn’t officially expected to come into force until 2018 at the earliest – and SIV’s early move makes it the first leisure operator in the UK to introduce a sugar tax on unhealthy fizzy drinks.
Steve Brailey, CEO of SIV, says the income from the additional levy at SIV facilities will be reinvested in its entirety in obesity and diabetes prevention programmes. “We’re proud to be the first leisure operator in the UK to make this bold move,” he adds.
He continues: “Obesity is a major issue in Sheffield, with more than half of all adults in the city obese or overweight, and this is contributing to an alarming rise in type 2 diabetes.
“By introducing the sugar tax, we hope to shift customer demand from fizzy drinks to healthy alternatives. By reinvesting all money generated through the tax in new health projects, we also hope to further improve the health and wellbeing of Sheffield people.”
So should other operators follow suit or, with pressure on the bottom line and high customer demand for post-workout treats, is this really too tough an ask? We ask the experts.