They state:
Governments can help people change their lifestyle by making new healthy options available or by making existing ones more accessible and affordable. Alternatively, they can use persuasion, education and information to make healthy options more attractive. This gentle approach is more expensive, hard to deliver and hard to monitor. A tougher approach, through regulation and fiscal measures, is more
transparent but it hits all consumers indiscriminately, so can have high political and welfare costs. It may also be difficult to organise and enforce and have regressive effects.
transparent but it hits all consumers indiscriminately, so can have high political and welfare costs. It may also be difficult to organise and enforce and have regressive effects.
There is motivation and there is punishment. There also is the Department of Agriculture which is the dominant culprit in the US, just look at school meals, that is one of the problems. In the old days, you brought lunch or better went home for lunch. Now there is no home to go to and the law demands you consume the junk the DoA serves up. Recall that the DoA budget is doubled under the current Administration's Budget proposal, instead it should be eliminated!
They continue:
Denmark introduced a tax on foods containing more than 2.3% saturated fats (meat, cheese, butter,
edible oils, margarine, spreads, snacks, etc.) in 2011. Consumers pay 16 kroner (EUR 2.15) per kilogram of saturated fat on domestic and imported food, which is equivalent to up to 30% more for a pack of butter, 8% more for a bag of chips, and 7% more for a litre of olive oil. Tax revenues are expected to be over EUR 200 million per year, and saturated fat consumption is expected to decrease by 4%. Denmark had also increased its excise taxes on chocolate, ice cream, sugary drinks and confectionery by 25% in 2010. Also in 2011, Hungary introduced a tax on selected manufactured foods with high sugar, salt or caffeine content. Carbonated sugary drinks are among the products targeted by the new measures. The tax does not concern basic food stuffs and only affects products that have healthier alternatives. The Hungarian government is reportedly expecting to raise in excess of EUR 70 million per year from the tax. 2011 was also the year that Finland introduced a tax on confectionery products, while biscuits, buns and pastries remained exempt. The tax, originally intended to be set at almost one euro per kilogram of product, was subsequently dropped to EUR 0.75 per kilogram. At the same time, the existing excise tax on soft drinks was raised from 4.5 cents to 7.5 cents per litre.
edible oils, margarine, spreads, snacks, etc.) in 2011. Consumers pay 16 kroner (EUR 2.15) per kilogram of saturated fat on domestic and imported food, which is equivalent to up to 30% more for a pack of butter, 8% more for a bag of chips, and 7% more for a litre of olive oil. Tax revenues are expected to be over EUR 200 million per year, and saturated fat consumption is expected to decrease by 4%. Denmark had also increased its excise taxes on chocolate, ice cream, sugary drinks and confectionery by 25% in 2010. Also in 2011, Hungary introduced a tax on selected manufactured foods with high sugar, salt or caffeine content. Carbonated sugary drinks are among the products targeted by the new measures. The tax does not concern basic food stuffs and only affects products that have healthier alternatives. The Hungarian government is reportedly expecting to raise in excess of EUR 70 million per year from the tax. 2011 was also the year that Finland introduced a tax on confectionery products, while biscuits, buns and pastries remained exempt. The tax, originally intended to be set at almost one euro per kilogram of product, was subsequently dropped to EUR 0.75 per kilogram. At the same time, the existing excise tax on soft drinks was raised from 4.5 cents to 7.5 cents per litre.
These are actions which have merit. But as I have noted it is the very Government which decries this that at the same time not only supports it but denies options, just look at the recent case of the child who brought lunch from home having to eat fried chicken nuggets! The problem is not obesity it is the Government.
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