The Food Research Collaboration paper has concluded that the growing obesity epidemic can be tackled by making unhealthy products with low nutritional value more expensive to reduce their consumption.
The paper looked at countries where health-related food and beverage taxes are already applied such as Finland, France, Hungary and Mexico, where evidence shows that these measures have been effective in reducing purchases.
Professor Tim Lang of Sustain member the Centre for Food Policy at City University and chair of the Food Research Collaboration said "Governments have for too long been in a fantasy world where cheap food is celebrated as a good thing, without including the externalised costs in the form of ill-health, rising healthcare costs and lost human potential." Support Sustain's campaign for a sugary drinks duty here.
Published Friday 22 May 2015
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.
