
In a landmark report the British Medical Association will urge Downing Street to take on the food industry. It found that poor diet costs the NHS £6billion a year while claiming 70,000 lives. The BMA's proposed levy on fizzy drinks would raise the price of a one-litre bottle of Coke from £1.50 to £1.80. Professor Sheila Hollins, who led the team behind the report, said: 'If a tax of at least 20 per cent is introduced, it could reduce the prevalence of obesity in the UK by around 180,000 people.'