Although the World Health Organization recommends governments to consider the use of fiscal policies to promote healthy eating, and the UK has recently introduced a tax on sugary drinks to combat obesity, Denmark was widely criticized when it introduced a tax on foods high in saturated fats, and was forced to abandon the policy in 2013, just over a year after bringing it in.
Now, research by Oxford University and Copenhagen University, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, has discovered that the tax had beneficial effects on health.
The tax resulted in a 4.0% reduction in saturated fat intake. Vegetable consumption increased, and salt consumption increased for most individuals, except younger females. The researchers modelled a reduction in mortality, with 123 lives saved annually, 76 of them below 75 years of age, equal to 0.4% of all deaths from non-communicable diseases. The research contributes to an evidence gap on the impacts of food taxes to steer consumption in healthier directions.
Read more about Sustain's policies on healthy food and farming here.
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
