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U.K. considers tax on sugary and salty snacks

Snack Tax - Level 0

The UK wants people to eat healthier food. It asked a food expert for ideas. The expert showed his ideas to the government. One idea is to tax food with salt and sugar. The media called this a "snack tax". The second one is to give poorer people free vegetables. The expert said what we eat is doing "terrible damage to our health".

The UK's leader is not happy with the ideas. They could increase the price of snack food. He does not want to tax "hard-working people". He said exercise and less junk food were the best ways to be healthy. The expert said the government must build a better food system, "for our children and grandchildren".

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Snack Tax - Level 1

The UK wants people to eat more healthily. It asked a food expert for some ideas. The expert created the National Food Strategy. He showed it to the government. He has two main ideas. One is to tax food with salt and sugar. The media called this a "snack tax". The second one is to give poorer people free vegetables. The expert said what we eat is doing "terrible damage" to the environment and our health. Poor diets kill people and put pressure on hospitals.

The UK's leader is not happy with the strategy. It could increase the price of snack food by up to 13 per cent. He does not want to put "extra taxes on hard-working people". He said the best way to fight obesity was to exercise and eat less junk food. The expert said good leadership from government could "change the system so it makes both us and the planet healthier". He added that the country had to build a better food system "for our children and grandchildren".

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Snack Tax - Level 2

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The UK government wants to help people eat more healthily. It asked a food expert to come up with some ideas. The expert, Henry Dimbleby, created the National Food Strategy and presented it to the government. The strategy has two main ideas. One is a tax on food with salt and sugar. The media called this a "snack tax". The second one is to give poorer people free vegetables. Mr Dimbleby warned that what we eat, and how it is produced, is doing "terrible damage" to the environment and our health. Poor diet leads to many deaths and puts a lot of pressure on hospitals.

The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not happy with the strategy. He does not like the idea of "extra taxes on hard-working people". He said the strategy could increase the price of snack food by up to 13 per cent. He added that the best way to tackle obesity was for people to exercise and eat less junk food. Mr Dimbleby said: "With the right leadership from government, it is well within our power to change the system so it makes both us and the planet healthier." He added that the country had to build a better food system "for our children and grandchildren".

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Snack Tax - Level 3

The UK is considering several measures to help people eat more healthily. The government asked a food expert to come up with some ideas. The expert is Henry Dimbleby, the founder of a chain of restaurants. Mr Dimbleby created the National Food Strategy and presented it to the UK government earlier this week. The strategy included two main ideas. One is a tax on food containing salt and sugar, which the media have called a "snack tax". The second idea is to give vegetables to poorer people for free. Mr Dimbleby warned that what we eat, and how it is produced, is doing "terrible damage" to the environment and to our health. Poor diet leads to 64,000 deaths a year in England and puts great pressure on hospitals.

Despite the government asking for the strategy, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is not happy with it. He said he could not support it because he was "not attracted to the idea of extra taxes on hard-working people". Mr Johnson said the strategy could increase the price of snack food by up to 13 per cent. He added that the best way to tackle obesity and to encourage healthier lifestyles was for people to exercise and eat less junk food. Mr Dimbleby said: "With the right leadership from government, it is well within our power to change the system so it makes both us and the planet healthier." He added: "We must now seize the moment to build a better food system for our children and grandchildren."

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