Supermarkets fuel obesity crisis ‘by charging bargain prices for oversized sugary drinks’
But fizzy drinks bosses argue they are not to blame for nations sugar addiction
SUPERMARKETS are fuelling the obesity crisis by charging “incredible” bargain prices for jumbo size sugary drinks bottles, experts warned yesterday.
And petrol stations were slammed for offering bulk buy deals with fast food restaurants blasted for free drink refills.
Professor Paul Dobson from the University of East Anglia told MPs shoppers trying to be healthy were being tempted by bargain deals.
He told the Commons Health Select Committee there was a four- fold difference between the unit price of large bottles of fizzy juice compared to smaller ones.
He said: “If you went to a very well known large retailer today and purchased a very well known carbonated drinks brand you would see a fourfold difference in the unit price between a small size and a large size or a multi buy.
“That kind of incentive even on an unhealthy product is going to drive bargain hunters to purchase that.”
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Prof Dobson said 40 per cent of what consumers buy is on “impulse”.
And he called on soft drink giants to reduce their can size from 330ml to the recommended serving of 250ml saying it would be a “step in the right direction”.
He added: “I come back to the enormous disparity in unit pricing. A small bottle of a carbonated drink works out at 25p per 100ml compared to a multibuy offer which works out at 5.7p.
“That is a huge incentive to bulk buy and I don’t think most consumers adhere to consuming a recommended 250 ml serving.”
It came as fizzy drink bosses insisted they weren’t to blame for the obesity crisis and a Government minister claimed the nation was addicted to sugar.
Coca-Cola chief Jon Woods said his firm was selling 44 per cent less of their full-sugar drink compared to a decade ago – but obesity rates were still rising despite the falling sales.
Public Health Minister Nicola Blackwood told MPs British youngsters were among the highest consumers of sugar in Europe.
The panel of experts were being quizzed by MPs over the Government’s Child Obesity plan.
Ministers will slap a sugar tax on fizzy drinks from April next year which could add around 8p more for a can of Coke and 48p extra for a two litre bottle.
The sugar tax has been branded a £1bn stealth tax on the poor that won’t tackle the soaring levels of child obesity.
But Coca-Cola general manager Jon Woods said yesterday they were working hard to slash the amount of sugar in their drinks.
And he highlighted how the firm – which used to sell three full sugar drinks to one diet drink - now sells one for one.
