Article

Cheap Donuts and Expensive Broccoli: The Effect of Relative Prices on Obesity

The study examines the role of relative food prices in determining an individual’s body mass index (BMI), arguing that as healthy foods become more expensive relative to unhealthy foods, individuals substitute to a less healthy diet. Some key insights from the study:

  • “[…] the sensitivity of individuals to changes in relative food prices may not be sufficient to make fat taxes, within plausible ranges, a viable tool to lower obesity”.

You can find the whole paper here.

Ineffective on obesity, What others say: experts, BMI, Food prices, Jonah Gelbach, Jonathan Klick, Thomas Stratmann