Abokado, the healthy eating chain, has announced that it is joining forces with Jamie Oliver by levying a 10p sugar tax on all its drinks which contain added sugar. The proceeds of the tax will be donated to The Children’s Health Fund, initiated by Jamie Oliver and run by the charity Sustain, to support healthy food initiatives in schools across Britain.
Mark Lilley, director said ‘We’re proud to be supporting Jamie in this campaign. It’s essential that we raise awareness of the dangers of consuming too much sugar, particularly amongst children. When Jamie explained to me first-hand how widespread the shocking consequences of excessive sugar consumption are amongst children, it was clear to me that we had to act.’
Restaurant operators should take some responsibility
‘At Abokado, we’re fortunate to have a very wide range of all natural, freshly made drinks, the vast majority of which have no added sugar whatsoever. So our customers have a wonderful choice of healthy options. But that’s certainly not the case across our industry. As a father of four I believe restaurant operators should take some responsibility for guiding the nation’s children towards healthier lifestyle choices. This step will not in itself fix the problem, but it will draw attention to the issue and divert funds to a worthwhile cause.’
The levy will be made against all added sugar drinks including Coca Cola across Abokado’s 26 London stores from 30th September 2015.
About Abokado
Abokado is a leading operator in the healthy food sector with more than 25 sites across London. It was founded in 2004 by Mark & Lindsay Lilley with a mission to help people lead happier and healthier lives. The business employs over 250 people and offers a menu of sushi, salads, noodles, soups, breakfast and coffee all of which are freshly prepared in-store. The company has ambitious growth plans to achieve its vision of making its Feel Great Food accessible to more and more people.
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