(Bloomberg) -- Tesco Plc said it's cutting the amount of sugar in its own-brand soft drinks ahead of a U.K. levy aimed at reducing childhood obesity.
The amount of sugar in products such as Tesco Cola is to be halved, the Welwyn Garden City, England-based company said in a statement Monday. The move completes a program that started in 2011 and has led to a reduction of more than 20 percent in sugar levels, the company said.
The U.K. has been consulting with beverage producers and health experts on its plans for a tax on sugary drinks in an effort to reduce childhood obesity. The World Health Organization said last month that increasing the retail price of sugary drinks by 20 percent would reduce consumption by about a fifth.
“The move supports the increasingly recognized recommendation that sugars should make up no more than 5 percent of people's daily diet,” Tesco said.
The reductions announced on Monday affect about 50 products, the last of the grocer's 251-strong range to have been reformulated to less than 5 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters.
To contact the reporter on this story: Sam Chambers in London at schambers7@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew Boyle at mboyle20@bloomberg.net, Thomas Mulier
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