Fat-busting choc tax: A British medical conference was told last week that chocolate should be taxed in a bid to control the obesity epidemic.

Family doctor David Walker said it was a “major player” in the problem and taxing it would raise its profile as an unhealthy food. “It is not unusual for a person to eat a 225g bag of something like Minstrels while watching the TV, and that’s just short of 1,200 calories – more than half the recommended daily intake for men and women,” he said.