The Lancet Com-mission on Obesity says taxing joints and burgers will help people choose healthier options and raise billions for healthcare.
But critics claimed the team of doctors and other experts behind the report want a nanny state.
The Commission made recent headlines with its proposed worldwide health diet which said people should eat no more than a 2p-sized beef burger each day.
Its report blames lack of political leadership for preventing effective action against obesity and malnutrition.
And it slams major food and drinks firms for focusing on profits and encouraging over-consumption of "unhealthy" products.
The National Obesity Forum has thrown its weight behind the report.
Chairman Tam Fry said ministers will not be forgiven if they fail to back it and treat meat the same as sugary drinks, which are already taxed.
But the report has been blasted by the Institute of Economic Affairs.

"This report is trying to demonise normal food, such as sausages and ham, and stigmatise those who consume it.
"If these policies are introduced, a thriving and competitive food market will be replaced by a "state anchored approach" in which bureaucrats and activists decide what the public is allowed to eat."
Comment: Much like the warnings on cigarettes, the idea of putting warnings on meat have no scientific basis and simply fall back on political correctness. Meat is essential to health, making the idea of warning against it a propaganda tool, nothing more.
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