London - Sugary drinks should carry health warnings like cigarettes, according to a public health expert.
Professor Simon Capewell, who has described sugar as “the new tobacco”, wants the Government to follow the example of California, which is set to introduce drinks labels warning of links to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
The University of Liverpool academic said a third of Britain’s children, and two-thirds of adults, are now overweight or obese – but halving children’s intake of sugar-sweetened drinks could arrest or even reverse current trends.
In a personal view published on bmj.com, the British Medical Journal’s website, Professor Capewell said: “Many other potentially harmful products already carry effective health warnings... cigarettes have gone from being socially acceptable to quite unacceptable after warning labels were implemented.”
He said changing drinks’ packaging would be an “interesting experiment” that “may offer an effective new strategy”.
However, Professor Tom Sanders, head of King’s College London’s diabetes division, said: “Sugar is not like tobacco: it is not addictive and does not cause cardiovascular disease and cancer.
“A warning label on soft drinks suggests a lack of perspective.” - Daily Mail