here what the FDA want you to think :
[The levy is squarely aimed at high-sugar drinks, particularly fizzy drinks, which are popular among teenagers.
Pure fruit juices and milk-based drinks will be excluded and the smallest producers will have an exemption from the scheme.
It will be imposed on companies according to the volume of the sugar-sweetened drinks they produce or import.
There will be two bands - one for total sugar content above 5g per 100 millilitres and a second, higher band for the most sugary drinks with more than 8g per 100 millilitres. Analysis by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility suggests they will be levied at 18p and 24p per litre.
Examples of drinks which would currently fall under the higher rate of the sugar tax include full-strength Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Lucozade Energy and Irn-Bru, the Treasury said. The lower rate would catch drinks such as Dr Pepper, Fanta, Sprite, Schweppes Indian tonic water and alcohol-free shandy.]
[Who has been pressing for this?
The whole health community, more or less. In recent years campaigners have been putting forward a vociferous case for why a sugar levy is important in the fight against childhood obesity.
The most high-profile supporter has been TV chef Jamie Oliver, who has introduced a sugar levy in his restaurants. He set up an e-petition that saw more than 150,000 people backing a tax.
NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens has also spoken out in favour of a tax and has announced the health service will be introducing its own "tax" in hospitals.]
What will happen to the money?:
[Sugar in fizzy drinks-
35g
The amount of sugar in a 330ml can of Coca-Cola (7 teaspoons)-
30g
The recommended max. intake of sugar per day for those aged 11+
£520m The amount George Osborne expects the sugar tax to raise
Source: Coca-Cola, NHS
PA
Mr Osborne said the money raised - an estimated £520m a year - will be spent on increasing the funding for sport in primary schools.
There has been pressure on ministers to increase spending in this area to build on the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games and in light of the low numbers of children who take part in regular activity.
Research has shown that half of seven-year-olds do not do enough exercise.
But while the tax applies to the whole of the UK, Mr Osborne announcement on where the money is spent applies solely to England. The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are free to decide how to spend their share.]
now for the truth about the new suger called [Aspartame]
NSH heath website state:
[Aspartame has been subject to more scare stories than any other sweetener, ranging from allergies and premature births to liver damage and cancer.
It is low calorie and up to 200 times sweeter than sugar. Aspartame is used all over the world as a sugar substitute in thousands of foods and drinks, including cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, low-calorie (diet) soft drinks and table-top sweeteners.
Aspartame has been extremely controversial since its approval for use by several European countries in the 1980s. A 1996 report suggested a link between aspartame and an increase in the number of diagnosed brain tumours. However, the study had very little scientific basis and later studies showed that aspartame was in fact safe to consume.
The European Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences published several long-term studies in 2006 and 2007 linking the consumption of aspartame with an increase in cancers – namely lymphomas and leukaemias – in rats.
Following these studies, the US National Cancer Institute conducted a study of nearly half a million people, comparing those who consumed drinks containing aspartame with those who did not. Results of the 2006 study (PDF, 87kb) found aspartame did not increase the risk of leukaemia, lymphoma or brain cancer.
In 2013 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducted a comprehensive review of the evidence (PDF, 2.25Mb) and concluded that aspartame was safe for human consumption, including pregnant women and children.
In digestion, aspartame is quickly and completely broken down into by-products – including phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol – which then enter our system through normal routes. Hardly any aspartame enters the bloodstream.
However, the EFSA said the acceptable daily intake recommendations did not apply to people with phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare genetic disorder where the body cannot break down phenylalanine. People with this condition need to closely monitor their phenylalanine intake.
The EFSA report stated that, "PKU mothers with poorly controlled phenylalanine intake in their diet during pregnancy may give birth to babies with congenital heart diseases, microcephalus and impaired neurological function."
It is worth noting that phenylalanine occurs naturally in many protein-rich foods, such as milk, eggs and meat. Table-top sweeteners containing aspartame or aspartame-acesulfame K must be marked with "contains a source of phenylalanine".
Acceptable daily intake: 40mg per kg of body weight
Find out what the latest scientific evidence says about these other common artificial sweeteners:
acesulfame K
saccharin
sucralose
steviol glycosides (stevia plant extracts)
sorbitol
xylitol