Denmark leads the
way in the world's first fat tax
Recently
Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce a tax on foods that
contain more than 2.3% fat. To put that into things we shop, that's butter,
milk, cheese, pizza, meat, oil and processed foods.
The
aim is to reduce people's intake of fatty foods, but it's not to curb obesity.
Fewer than 10% of the Danish populations are obese, which is quite a bit lower
than the 15% European average. The outgoing conservative government in Denmark
planned the fat tax as part of a goal to increase the life expectancy of the
Danes. Danish research shows that excessive consumption of saturated fats
causes about 4% of the nation's premature deaths with the current average life
expectancy of 79 years expected to drop by three years over the next 10 years.
How
will the new fat tax affect the cost of food in Denmark?
The
new tax will add 16 kroner (around $AUD3.00) per kilo of saturated fats in a
product, increasing the price of a burger by around $AUD0.15 and raising the
price of a small package of butter by around $AUD0.40. As a result, the Danes
began stockpiling tax affected products, filling their freezers in the lead up
to this new tax.
Health
minister Jakob Axel Nielsen introduced the idea of a fat tax back in 2009,
stating that, "Higher fees on sugar, fat and tobacco is an important step
on the way toward a higher average life expectancy In Denmark" because
"saturated fats can cause cardiovascular disease and cancer." In
March this year the tax was approved by large majority of the parliament.
Will
Australia bring in a fat tax?
Chief
executive Kate Carnell from the Australian Food and Grocery Council
AFGC)
says a similar tax would not address our obesity levels. Australia has had a
10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) on processed foods since 2000, yet obesity
levels have continued to rise. Taxing dairy products has also been ruled out as
the AFGC is encouraging people to have more calcium in their diets rather than
less.
In
a bid to curb obesity in Australia, the AFGC is calling on involvement from
industries, governments and communities to help solve the crisis. One in four
Australians are overweight or obese, which is why leading industry bodies,
manufacturers and governments are all putting plans in place to help overcome
the issue.
Here's
what's currently being done:
·
Leading
manufacturers have reduced the saturated fat content of cooked and smoked
sausages and luncheon meats (excluding salami) to less than 6.5 grams of
saturated fat per 100 grams.
·
The
Victorian government recently spent $40 million on educating the public about
nutrition and the importance of exercise.
·
CHOICE
announced it will start naming and shaming foods making misleading health
claims.
·
Australia
has reportedly joined with the United States and Canada to call for the United
Nations to change their rules around regulating the production and marketing of
unhealthy foods.
·
The
Cancer Council is calling for cartoons used in junk food advertising to be
banned.
·
The
Australian Medical Association wants to ban the advertising of junk food to
children.
·
Hungry
Jack's recently announced that vegetable options will now accompany its
burgers.
Is
a Fat Tax the Answer?
I
don't think it necessarily is going to affect our obesity levels by simply
taxing high fat foods, should we tax high sugar level food too then? But at the same time the above "actions" that
the government are currently working with doesn't seem to do much either. Maybe
we do need higher taxes on processed food, to force us to do more "home
"cooking and start plan our meals.
We
need to tackle our obesity epidemic in a similar way as we did with tobacco,
and maybe a fat tax could give us that kick to start eating healthier and
really think about what is in our food.
Do
you think that introducing a fat tax would impact our obesity levels?
Yours in Health & Fitness,
Birgitta
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