為了應對日益嚴重的青少年肥胖問題，法國政府決定向可口可樂等含糖軟飲征收“肥胖稅”。據悉，這項新稅收政策實行后，將向每罐可口可樂或芬達征收1％的“肥胖稅”，不過，不含糖的健怡可樂不在征稅范圍內。“肥胖稅”每年將為政府帶來超過1億歐元的額外收入，這筆資金將用于補貼法國農民的社會保障。在此之前，法國政府剛剛宣布要在學校餐廳限制番茄醬和鹽的供給，規定學校餐廳每周只配發一次番茄醬和蛋黃醬，用以搭配薯條食用，其余時間不予供給。

The new tax will add just over 1p to a can of fizzy drink like Coca-Cola or Fanta but zero-calorie 'diet' drinks will be exempt from the charges, the government said.

France is to impose a 'fat tax' on sugary soft drinks in a bid to combat soaring child obesity.

The new tax will add just over 1p to a can of fizzy drink like Coca-Cola or Fanta but zero-calorie 'diet' drinks will be exempt from the charges, the government said.

The new measures - a hike of from 3 to 6 Euro cents per litre on sugary drinks - are also expected to raise more than ￡100 million a year for government coffers.

The revenue would be used to fund lower social security charges for farm workers, the government said.

The move comes days after France also announced it would be rationing tomato ketchup and salt in school canteens.

Under the rules, tomato sauce and mayonnaise will only be on dinner tables once a week when chips are served and would be removed when traditional French dishes such as roast veal are served.

Denmark also recently announced a new higher tax on foods containing high levels of saturated fat.

French MP Gilles Carrez said of his country's latest soft drinks tax: 'This project will have both health benefits as children turn away from sugary drinks, and revenue benefits for our core agricultural workforce.'

A recent study found a fast-food diet of junk food is turning the traditionally skinny French into a nation of fatties.

More than 20 million French people are now overweight and seven million of those are clinically obese - double the figure for 14 years ago, according to France's National Institute for Health and Medical Research.

Despite still being officially Europe's second thinnest people, the weight of the average French person has soared by half a stone to 11 stone 4lbs since 1997, the report found.

A French health ministry spokesman added: 'We French may be among the least overweight in Europe but we have nothing to be complacent about.

'Obesity is rising as swiftly in France as it is in other EU countries and action must be taken before it gets any more serious.'

Europe's fattest nation is Greece, where 70 per cent of people are overweight, and 30 per cent are obese.

Britons are Europe's fifth fattest, behind Germany, Finland and Ireland, according to a TNS Sofres survey of 500,000 people across the EU.

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(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen ）