Seedrs alum Oppo Ice Cream, along with Sugarwise, has launched the #DontTaxHealth petition on Change.Org to stop the rising costs of healthy foods.
Oppo’s ice cream is made with fresh milk, virgin coconut oil and stevia leaf, and has fewer calories than an apple. It contains 60% fewer calories than regular ice cream due to ingredients such as coconut oil, stevia leaf, and fresh milk. All three of the Oppo’s flavors (Madagascan Vanilla, Mint Choc Swirl, Sated Caramel) each has a superfood boost. SugarWise seeks to offer more choices in food and drink that are low in free sugars. It wishes to increase the amount of low free sugar choices that consumers have available to them along with raise awareness for and generate great demand of low free sugar.
The duo revealed on the Change.Org website:
“We are petitioning the government to cut VAT to the reduced rate of 5% on all foods and drinks with a reduced / low / free from added sugar / sugar free / low or no calorie / claim. Reductions from the standard 20% rate are typically granted when there is a social benefit for doing so. There is a clear benefit here. Reducing VAT on products with reduced sugar (at least 30% less than comparable products), low sugar (5% or less for solids / 2.5% for liquids), free from added sugar (less than 5% calories from free sugars and no added sugar), sugar free (0.5g per 100g or 100ml) and low calorie (4kcal per portion) would be simple to implement and give more people access to healthy foods whilst also encouraging food producers to innovate in lower sugar alternatives.”
Oppo and Sugarwise noted that each of the signatures will help the companies deliver the petition to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, thus making a step forward in making it cheaper for consumers to purchase food and drinks that contain significantly less sugar.
Meanwhile, Oppo has recently returned to Seedrs and successfully secured its initial £150,000 funding target within the first week. The company has so far raised £266,000.
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