AppId is over the quota
Denmark, a country famous for bacon and butter, is looking to extend the average life expectancy of its citizens by imposing a tax on fatty foods, particularly those high in saturated fat. While Denmark's obesity rate is below the European average (and significantly less than half that of the US, according to the OECD), its average life expectancy lags that of many other European countries--slightly. As saturated fats are linked to cardiovascular disease and some cancers, the goal of imposing a fat tax in Denmark is to increase life expectancy by three years over the next 10 years. Denmark already taxes sugary products and has banned trans fats.
The tax--16 kroner (just under $3) per kilogram of saturated fat--is imposed on foods with a saturated fat content above 2.3%. The tax, which takes into account the amount of fat used to produce a particular food rather than the amount that appears in the final product, applies to foods such as butter, cheese, red meat, pizza, and many processed foods. It would add about 40 cents to the cost of a hamburger or about 12 cents to a bag of chips, according to one estimate. But will this really change the way people eat? A 2007 study shows that a 10% tax on fat in dairy products would reduce fat consumption by only 1%.
So while such a tax might expand the government's coffers, it's unlikely to shrink fat consumption to any significant degree. It could, perhaps, cause the food industry to change the composition of some processed foods, but as always, there will be concern about what's used in place of saturated fats.
Is a fat tax the way to go, and could it work in the United States? What do you think?
More on Fats
No comments:
Post a Comment