The Government has announced a major extension of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to finally include sugary milkshakes and other high-sugar milk-based drinks.

For years, these products have been packed with excessive sugar yet kept outside the levy, despite being pushed heavily at young people in supermarkets, on high streets and across social media.

For Bite Back campaigners, this is a step that should have come long ago — and one we intend to see followed through with stronger protections. Dev, Bite Back activist, said:

“This is great news from the Government, especially because it finally tackles sugary milkshakes and other milk-based drinks. The amount of sugar in these products has been completely outrageous, and young people like me have been saying it for years. We’re targeted with these drinks everywhere — in supermarkets, on our streets, and across our socials — so this is a really important step. But it can’t stop here. We need this to be part of a bigger package that also strengthens advertising rules online, on TV and outdoors. Big food companies have been given long lead times before and used them to delay and lobby their way out of action. That can’t happen again. Young people will be watching closely.”

What the Government Has Announced

Under today’s announcement, the levy will now apply to pre-packaged milkshakes, flavoured milks, sweetened yoghurt drinks, chocolate milks and ready-to-drink coffees — products which often contain as much added sugar as fizzy drinks. The threshold for all drinks in the levy is also being lowered from 5g to 4.5g of sugar per 100ml.

The Government expects companies to reformulate before the new rules take effect in January 2028, echoing the successful wave of reformulation seen when the levy was first introduced. According to Health Secretary Wes Streeting, the extension is part of a wider mission to support children’s health.

A Food System Stacked Against Young People

This announcement lands at a time when the evidence on the harms caused by ultra-processed food has never been clearer. This week, the world’s largest review into UPFs — published in The Lancet — found associations with harm to nearly every major organ system. The review highlighted how companies use marketing muscle, political lobbying and strategic influence to block policies designed to protect the public.

For us, none of this comes as a surprise.

Over the past fortnight, Bite Back activists Alice and Jayda have been at the centre of national conversations on junk food advertising, speaking directly to MPs on the Health and Social Care Committee about the constant targeting they face — from bus stop ads to endless online promotions. Their message to Parliament was simple: a food environment engineered by powerful companies is shaping young people’s daily lives, and the Government must hold its line.

Consultation, Youth Voice and What Comes Next

Alice and Jayda also urged ministers to go beyond TV and online rules and finally address the huge volume of outdoor marketing young people encounter every day. With today’s extension of the levy, the Government has shown it can act — but must now finish the job.

The upcoming recommendations from the Health and Social Care Committee, expected next year, present a crucial moment. We want the Government to:

• Extend advertising restrictions to outdoor advertising.
• Close brand advertising loopholes.
• Deliver policy without delays or concessions to industry lobbying.

Bite Back activists have spoken up in Parliament. Today’s announcement shows our voices are being heard — but the real test is whether the Government goes further to build a food system that fuels us, not fools us.

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