Taxpayers fear cash given to mums-to-be for fruit and veg could be spent on cigarettes and booze.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson, 57, plans to give women a one-off £120 to help them eat more healthily.
But Matthew Elliott, chair of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "This is a gimmick, and it could turn out a huge waste."
Blair Gibbs, the TPA's slightly over-weight Campaign Director appeared on Sky News this morning to oppose new taxes on fatty foods - "This a bad idea from start to finish. Fat taxes punish everyone for the choices of a few people. VAT is already levied on confectionary and most snacks so politicians should not be in the business of directing people's food choices with new taxes that the report itself actually admits will make everyone's weekly food shop more expensive ... and we know from other research that these taxes will hit low-income families the hardest. Where does this logic lead? Do we really want the Government intervening in the food market in this way? Your implying that we should effectively subsidise certain healthy foods. What next, an annual, transferable doughnut allowance?"
But last night there was outrage that favourite foods "would come under attack by the health police" and campaigners said the idea smacked of the nanny state.
Blair Gibbs, spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance said: "VAT is already levied on confectionery and most snacks, so politicians should not be directing people's food choices with new taxes that will hit low-income families the hardest and make everyone's weekly food shop more expensive."
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