Though you would not know it from the front pages of the papers this morning childhood obesity has been falling since the beginning of the century and the fact is that children’s consumption of sugar has been falling for years. It has fallen by 14% in the last decade alone. Consumption of sugary drinks has fallen by a third over the same period. Overall, sugar consumption among both children and adults is almost certainly at its lowest level since the 1950s. Today’s headlines are a cynical post-Christmas feasting guilt trip…

By 2015, sugar was providing 11% of the average adult’s daily energy intake, a mere whisker above the recommended 10%. The IEA’s lifestyle economist Chris Snowdon points out that the guidelines for sugar consumption have already been revised down. Childhood obesity has in any event been falling steadily for over a decade – despite the scaremongering. Parents are increasingly alert to healthy eating priorities, which is a credit to the five-a-day campaigns of the health lobby. A “pudding tax” however will not in itself create healthier children, it will just increase living costs, dragging kids away from their tablets and video games to play in the fresh air will be much more effective…