British PM Cameron against imposing sugar tax to fight child obesity

Downing Street confirmed the government is looking at other measures recommended in the report, including a crackdown on advertising of sugary products and cut-price promotions of sweet food and drink.

Earlier this week, celebrity chef and restaurateur Jamie Oliver appeared in front of a parliamentary committee, urging the government to impose a tax on soft drinks and criticising the industry for a lack of clarity on their sugar content.

Although Tedstone cited the success of Mexico's one peso (6 cents) tax per litre of sugary drinks introduced in January 2014, the finance commission of the Mexican Congress approved this week a measure to halve the tax if sugar content is less than five grams per 100 millilitres.

London's mayor, Boris Johnson, former health minister Dan Poulter and ex-minister Nick Herbert are among Tories calling for the government to look at the possibility of a tax.

But it's not yet time to panic, as a sugar tax was described as "only the fourth most effective way to fight obesity". "We have got to deal with the rising social and economic costs of childhood obesity".

The report also called for less marketing aimed at children in-store, on TV and online.

The Commons Health Select Committee questioned whether ministers opposed to the tax exercised political pressure to prevent the release of the review.

"The higher the tax increase, the greater the effect, " she said.

But, while she said a tax could have a "halo effect", Dr Tedstone said the full impact of a sugar tax was unclear.

"It leaves people wondering if there are vested interests that he's listening to instead", she added.

"We shouldn't be advertising junk food high in salt, fat and sugar before 9 o'clock, end of story", fumed the healthy eating campaigner.

Soft drinks (excluding fruit juice) are the largest single source of sugar for children aged 11 to 18, with those children who have them consuming the equivalent of one can of sugary drink every day.

The PHE report also calls for efforts to "reduce and rebalance" the number and type of price promotions on foods and to "significantly reduce opportunities to market and advertise high-sugar food and drink products to children and adults across all media including digital platforms and through sponsorship".

The government had been accused of following political interference by turning down repeat requests to publish the overdue findings of the PHE's scientific review on how best to reduce sugar consumption.

"We welcome the publication today of PHE's report since all policy-making should be evidence based".

Dame Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said the report should act as a spur to counter obesity.

The committee also heard from Dr Alison Tedstone, director of diet and obesity for PHE, who said that taxing high sugar foods and drinks could be effective at curbing childhood obesity.