The UK government is to tax soft drink manufacturers who put large amounts of sugar in their products. The UK’s sugariest drink has an astonishing amount.

So just what is the UK’s sugariest drink? The dubious honour goes to Old Jamaica Ginger Beer.

Its Extra Fiery drink has a staggering 13 teaspoons of sugar in a standard 330ml can. It’s small wonder that UK children eating four times the recommended daily amount of sugar.

To put that into perspective, the recommended maximum daily sugar intake for someone over the age of 11 is just 30g a day, or 7.5 teaspoons.

In response to growing concern over obesity, Chancellor George Osborne is imposing a levy on soft drinks with more than 5g of sugar per 100ml.

There’s a higher rate for those with more than 8g per 100ml. Fruit juice and milk-based drinks are exempt.

The Office for Budgetary Responsibility suggests the levy will add 18p or 24p per litre, or about 6p or 8p to a standard 330ml can.

Mountain Dew, Cherry Coke, Pepsi Cola, Red Bull, 7 Up, Coca Cola, Irn Bru, Vimto and Lucozade Energy Original are some of the other major products sugary enough to incur the higher-rate levy.

Those set to go on the lower levy include Dr Pepper, Fanta Orange, Sprite and Schweppes Indian Tonic Water.

But several products aren’t sugary enough for a charge. These include Lilt, Tango Orange and R Whites Lemonade.

The estimated £520m raised by the sugar levy will be put towards boosting primary school sports in the UK.

Source: BBC Magazine