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when i place my order coffee In the morning I feel like a teenager running around. Because, it takes me almost quadruple the time to order “an Iced White Chocolate Matcha Latte with Oat Milk” than the person next to me’s simple “Americano.”
Although delicious, my favorite drink isn’t exactly a mature beverage request; And now that the government has Announced that sugar tax will be imposed on both milkshakes and lattes To help tackle childhood obesity levels, ordering a coffee that’s eight words long has never been more embarrassing, childish or unhealthy. The worrying thing is that my condition is not worse than this; There are also banana bread, carrot cake and blondie brownie options.
While ‘open-cup’ milkshakes prepared in cafes, bars and restaurants will remain outside the scope of the new sugar tax rules, it’s worth noting that Starbucks’ prepackaged Caramel Frappuccino Joe 9.4 grams sugar Per 100 ml may be affected when companies will be charged in January 2028. and many specialty coffees, whether store-bought or not, Are Essentially adult milkshakes, some of which contain over 500 calories which doesn’t really make them a healthy option either.
This is a quarter of a woman’s daily recommended intake and is equivalent to eating 3.8 packets of Walkers crisps, 100g pasta with pesto, three slices of buttered toast – or 8.3 shots of tequila before lunch. Two calorie Americano, anyone?
“When you look at many pre-packaged Iced Coffee and Flavored Lattes On supermarket shelves, it’s not surprising they’ve joined the sugar-tax conversation,” believes the nutritionist and author. Unprocess Your Life: Get Rid of Ultra-Processed Foods for GoodRob Hobson of Law Change. “They are ultra-processed foods that contain ingredients like flavorings, sweeteners and stabilizers like carrageenan. [which can irritate a sensitive gut],
Hobson says it’s easy to underestimate the calorie content of these beverages because most people don’t think of a drink as a snack, no matter how much it contains. “The main issue is that liquid calories don’t trigger the same satiety signals as sold food, so you take in extra energy without having any real effect on appetite,” he explains. Meaning, realistically, you’ll also want a pastry.
“Ready-to-drink coffees have a “light” health halo because they are viewed as simply coffees with milk. The reality is that many of them contain enough sugar to fall into sweetened beverage territory.”
Previously, Chinese laws mainly affected fizzy drinks. But since Chancellor Rachel Reeves abandoned plans to raise the basic rate of income tax, she has been forced to rely on smaller tax increases on high-value properties, electric cars, gambling and tourism to generate money. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has described these as “nanny-state” measures and accused Keir Starmer of raising taxes on “the simple pleasures we all enjoy”.
However, when it comes to pre-packaged food and drinks, we may enjoy such simple pleasures, but the harms they cause are being highlighted almost daily.
According to government analysis, around 203 pre-packed milk-based drinks – which account for 93 per cent of sales in the category – will face sugar tax unless their sugar content is cut under the new proposals. The Treasury said young people get only 3.5 per cent of their calcium intake from dairy drinks, meaning “it is also likely that the health benefits do not justify the harm caused by added sugar”.
“By bringing milk-based beverages and milk alternative beverages into the SDIL, the government will introduce tax incentives for manufacturers of these beverages to build on existing progress and reduce sugar in their recipes,” it said.
A review published last week found that UPFs are linked to harm every major organ system of the human body And is a major threat to global health. As of last year’s records, 64 per cent of adults living in England were estimated to be overweight or obese. If we are eating like abandoned children, the government needs to become proper adults to us and change what big companies put into our food. If anything, they may be more strict.
“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying these beverages occasionally, but you’re better off getting a simple coffee from somewhere that’s just coffee and milk,” Hobson reasons. “It’s important to know what’s in them. The sugar-tax-driven reform could prove to be a positive step if it encourages greater transparency and helps people better understand what they’re drinking.”
When the sugar tax was announced in 2016, it resulted in a 46 percent reduction in sugar content in soft drinks. Since the levy was on drinks with a sugar content of more than 5 grams per 100 ml, many drinks are now below the 5 gram limit as a result. Before this, the approved sugar content has further reduced to 4.5 grams. This can reduce the sugar content of some store-bought Starbucks beverages to as much as half. So, things will taste a little different in the new year. Either that, or the drink could have an even bigger impact on our wallet than we might want to get rid of.
Perhaps shame should be enough to do this. Sadly, for adults, drinking flavored milk is quite unhygienic compared to low-calorie espresso. Maybe, it’s time to wake up and smell the (real) coffee.