The Chief medical officer is considering a tax on all unhealthy foods in a bid to reduce the levels of childhood obesity and persuade parents to buy fresh fruit and vegetables.

A review by Prof Dame Sally Davies will examine these ideas as well as further measures in order to halve the levels of childhood obesity by 2030 after more than 20,000 of primary school children were classed as obsese when they left primary school last year.

Although the food industry has claimed that adding taxes on high-calorie foods like cakes, pizzas and ready meal would not prevent consumers from purchasing them, Dame Sally is giving it serious thought.

"I want parents to be incentivised to buy healthy food," she told BBC News. "We need to make sure that fresh fruit and vegetables are cheap.

"Maybe we have to subsidise them by charging more, by taxing unhealthy food. Parents are then nudged to buy the healthy version because it's cheaper.

“I want the basket of food parents buy not to cost any more.”