Labour’s bonkers branflakes tax will punish Brits while doing nothing to tackle obesity – Emma Woolf

Labour’s bonkers branflakes tax will punish families while doing nothing to tackle obesity GB News commentator Emma Woolf writes about how Labour's fitness-first push risks backfiring Sign up to the Opinion Newsletter Email address Sign up I agree to receive updates and information about my account, the GB News Community, and related products and services from GB News. By signing up you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy and Community Rules. Thank you for signing up! See the latest from GB News here . Choose GB News on Google - add us as a preferred source Choose GB News Support GB News Champion free speech and independent journalism while unlocking exclusive benefits. Support us It’s been called Labour’s maddest plan yet. At a time when our shopping baskets are costing more and more - for less and less - every time we go into the supermarket, when prices of basic groceries are skyrocketing and most British families are worried about the cost of living, Labour is coming for your branflakes, your porridge pot and your cereal bar. The Government is planning to update the Nutrient Profiling Model to reclassify everyday items such as branflakes, porridge and fruit as “less healthy” or junk food by counting naturally occurring free sugars. Oats, porridge, granola and muesli will also be categorised as “unhealthy” because of the sugars in dried fruit. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Make this make sense. Every day, I walk past fried chicken shops with schoolkids spilling out of them. Deliveroo, Uber Eats and other delivery services are growing exponentially, bringing junk food straight to people’s homes. Only last month, thousands of PE teachers were made redundant due to funding cuts at the Department for Education, reducing the amount of sport and exercise available in schools. GB News commentator Emma Woolf writes about how Labour's fitness-first push risks backfiring | PA If we want to tackle obesity, there are obvious targets, but breakfast cereals are not among them. By recategorising foods high in fibre and vitamins, such as branflakes, cornflakes and All-Bran, as “unhealthy”, Labour could drive up prices, meaning families could face punishing increases of up to 65 per cent on items in their basic weekly shop. The Government is also cracking down on multibuys, buy-one-get-one-free deals and other promotional offers, meaning shoppers could see far fewer bargains on supermarket shelves. Not only will these taxes fail to curb the obesity crisis, but research consistently shows that consumers continue to buy products they want even when prices rise, as is the case with alcohol and cigarettes. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS Britain cannot defend itself if it cannot feed itself, warns Arlene Foster Mark Rowley has got it wrong with drive to increase people of colour in Met Police, warns Paul Embery I visited the capital of Britain’s baby bust – this is why we must take it seriously – Miriam Cates Obesity levels among adults and children remain high, even as inflation and food costs have soared. This price raid is unfair on the poorest in society because everyday staples such as cornflakes are not luxuries; they are basics. When hard-pressed families are constantly reminded to feed their children a balanced breakfast before school, this tax raid is being widely seen as petty and vindictive. It is also misleading and inaccurate to classify foods according to “naturally occurring sugars”. Many of these cereals are convenient and quick to prepare, high in fibre and iron, nutritionally dense and an excellent source of slow-release energy. This means they keep you fuller for longer and can help stop you reaching for a fast-food app. This is exactly what we need at a time when obesity is one of our biggest health crises. Ronald Reagan had an old saying about government: “If it moves, tax it.” What more can Labour tax? Responses on X ranged from satire, with one user asking, “With everything we have to worry about and they want to tax a bloody branflake?”, to anger, with another declaring, “Stop this John Healey, leave our food alone!” Surely this is the nanny state gone mad? There are so many national emergencies the Government needs to focus on, including borders, defence and the economy, but the humble bowl of porridge should not be a political priority right now. 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