Why taxing 'junk food' to tackle obesity isn't as simple as it seems
Retrieved on:
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Former prime minister Tony Blair has called for more taxes on junk food to tackle the UK’s obesity crisis.
Key Points:
- Former prime minister Tony Blair has called for more taxes on junk food to tackle the UK’s obesity crisis.
- This includes extending sugar taxes beyond just soft drinks, as well as taxing food that is high in salt and fat.
- The former PM believes this is the only way to save the NHS.
- Detractors, on the other hand, quickly challenge such policies as being the enactment of the “nanny state”.
Where and what to tax?
- Although the UK’s sugar tax led to drinks being reformulated to have less sugar, it also had some unintended consequences.
- For example, sugary drinks called slushies needed to have glycerol (E422) added to them to maintain their slush (artificial sweeteners failed to produce the required “slush”).
- With the current cost of living crisis, this is simply not acceptable to politicians or many of the public.
What is ‘junk’ food?
- Blair suggested “junk food”, which he defined as high in fat, salt and sugar - often called HFSS foods.
- These restrictions on advertising are estimated to have significantly decreased the average amount of HFSS foods households buy each week.
- This data was then used to claim that this change reduced the number of people with obesity by 100,000.
- The HFSS definition could include cheese and Greek yoghurt and therefore might suggest that these foods receive an advertising ban.
- This sets out a community-led approach that encourages a city-wide food supply that is healthy for people and the planet.