Food tsar 'will recommend six per cent tax on salty foods'

Boris Johnson’s food tsar ‘will recommend six per cent tax on salty foods’ that would put 20p on a Big Mac and 5p on a bag of crisps

• Henry Dimbleby will recommend salt tax as part of his review, sources claim
• He is creating a National Food Strategy, aimed at getting Britons to eat healthier
• Salt tax is modelled after the 18p per litre sugar tax introduced in 2018
• Hopes it will force manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt they use

Boris Johnson’s food tsar Henry Dimbleby will recommend a six per cent tax on salty foods that would add 20p to the cost of a Big Mac, sources claim

Boris Johnson’s food tsar will recommend a six per cent tax on salty foods that would add 20p to the cost of a Big Mac, sources claim. 

Restaurateur Henry Dimbleby is set to make the salt tax a central recommendation of his National Food Strategy, a government review aimed at getting Britons to eat healthier.

The millionaire founder of lunch chain Leon has been tasked by the Prime Minister to come up with ways to get Britons to cut down on salt, red meat, saturated fats and sugar.

The salt tax – which is modelled on the 18p per litre sugar tax introduced in 2018 – will force manufacturers to reduce the amount of the seasoning they put in products, it is hoped.

Processed meats such as sausages and bacon would be hit the hardest. A Big Mac at McDonald’s would be 20p more expensive, The Sun reports.

A bag of Quavers would rise in cost by 5p to 91p a packet. 

A large Domino’s Mighty Meaty pizza would rise from £21.99 to £23.31.

Campaigners have blasted the move, with chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance John O’Connell saying: ‘This is yet another case of middle-class meddling that will hit the poorest families hardest.’

The Department of Health has been approached for comment.

Last month, Mr Dimbleby warned that Britons may have to pay a meat tax to help save the planet in future, even though it could cause riots.

Processed meats such as sausages and bacon would be hit the hardest. A Big Mac at McDonald’s (pictured) would be 20p more expensive

A bag of Quavers (pictured) would rise in cost by 5p to 91p a packet if the six per cent tax on salty foods goes ahead

He said in a draft report that the levy on burgers, steaks, ham and sausages ‘may be necessary’ in the long term.

But the Leon chain founder ruled against their immediate introduction because of the uproar it was create in the aftermath of the pandemic. 

However, according to the Sun, the document will raise the prospect of unrest over the price of food akin to the Gilet Jaune protests that rocked France last year.

Last month, Mr Dimbleby warned that Britons may have to pay a meat tax to help save the planet in future, even though it could cause riots.  The proposal will raise the prospect of unrest over the price of food akin to the Gilet Jaune protests (pictured) that rocked France last year

Sources told the paper it was ‘still a work in progress’.

Earlier this year Mr Johnson unveiled plans to slash the UK’s greenhouse emissions by nearly four-fifths in a decade that would require cutting meat and dairy consumption by a fifth.

Average meat consumption currently stands at 70g a day, according to the NHS, so reducing this by a fifth would equal 56g – approximately the weight of a chicken breast. 

This means that someone who has meat for every three meals could only do this twice a week. 

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