Latest updates from around the world
The ‘Latest updates from around the world’ section of the website reviews the on-going food and beverage tax debate from all angles. In the sections linked below you can find reviews and links to articles in the media, academic research by leading experts and the views of decision-makers from around Europe contributing to the debate on food and beverage taxation.
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Danish u-turn increasingly likely
This article published in Dutch agricultural trade magazine BOERENBUSINESS reviews the increasing possibility of a u-turn on the Danish tax on saturated fat. The article reports that proposals to rem...
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Food tax – a weapon of mass reduction?
Taxing food to combat obesity is based on assumptions of human behaviour - says Chief Executive of the Irish Food Safety Authority Alan Reilly. The underlying rationale of food taxes is that by taxin...
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Irish researchers share insights on obesity and NCDs
The Association for the Study of Obesity on the Island of Ireland is holding its inaugural meeting this week - to be discussed are a range of obesity-related topics including obesity management, obesi...
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Fat Taxes and Other Interventions Won’t Cure Obesity
Craven, Barrie & Marlow, Michael L. & Shiers, Alden, 2012. “Fat Taxes and Other Interventions Won’t Cure Obesity”, Economic Affairs 32.2, 2012 The paper argues that fat taxes would...
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German study finds paternalism angers consumers
Regional news network HR-fernsehen (Hesse) ran their own small-scale study in a local shop that stuck shoppers with a (fictional) 2 Euro 'tax' on 'unhealthy' foods. The journalists found that the tax...
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20% tax on unhealthy food products
Denmark has the ‘fat tax’, France the tax on sugary drinks, and Ireland is now considering something similar. The question is: what exactly should be taxed? Certain ingredients? Whole food product...
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From Coke to Coors: A Field Study of a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax and its Unintended Consequences
A six-month field experiment was conducted in a small American city to examine whether taxes on soft drinks could reduce obesity. Some key insights from the experiment: “Could taxes on soft dri...
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Introducing taxes, subsidies or both: The effects of various food pricing strategies in a web-based supermarket randomized trial
This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of varying taxing and subsiding schemes to stimulate healthier food purchases. Some key insights from the study: “Price decreases are effective in...
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Nutritional taxes as a policy instrument for public health: Rationales and expected impact
This article surveys the economic literature about fiscal food policies, illustrating the main issues by empirical results about the taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages. Some key insights from th...
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Food taxes: what type of evidence is available to inform policy development?
This paper investigates the relevance of seven different types of studies that present evidence that can be used as information for policy development on health matters. Some key insights from the...
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Rand Corporation study concludes ‘soda tax ineffective at combating obesity’
Watch this video for a short summary of why a soft drink tax would be ineffective at combating obesity, according to a new Rand study. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYqG5_mgZf8...
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Balance over taxation say young farmers
The Dutch young farmers' association (NAJK) have come out in favour of balance over taxation, Chairman Wilco de Jong explains. Mr. de Jong stresses the necessity of balanced food consumption as pavin...
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Fat taxes in the EU: between fiscal austerity and the fight against obesity
Alemanno, Alberto & Carreño, Ignacio, 2011. “Fat taxes in the EU between fiscal austerity and the fight against obesity”, European Journal of Risk Regulation 4, 2011 This essay pro...
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Why tax soft drinks and not ‘foie gras’?
Even in a cash strapped European Union, a new fizzy drinks tax seems like a non-solution whether it be to promote better health or bolster state coffers. In an article published in Les Echos, the Bel...
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The Australian Paradox: A Substantial Decline in Sugars Intake over the Same Timeframe that Overweight and Obesity Have Increased
Barclay, Alan W. & Brand-Miller, Jennie, 2011. “The Australian Paradox: A Substantial Decline in Sugars Intake over the Same Timeframe that Overweight and Obesity Have Increased”, Nutrients3...
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Heterogeneous Consumer Responses to Snack Food Taxes and Warning Labels
The experiment assessed the possible effects of targeted snack food taxes on purchase decisions via computer-assisted intercept surveys in Canadian supermarkets. Some key insights from the experime...
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European Union public opinion on policy measures to address childhood overweight and obesity
The study gathered data to examine whether differences in public opinion about policy options to fight the obesity problem exist among EU countries, and shows that there was little support for i...
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Sugar-sweetened beverage intake and overweight in children from a Mediterranean country
The study assessed the association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and being overweight in children from a Mediterranean country (Portugal). Some key insights from the study: ...
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Alternative fat taxes to control obesity
Clark, J. Stephen & Dittrich, O. Ludwig, 2010. “Alternative Fat Taxes to Control Obesity”, Int Adv Econ Res 16.4, 2010 The paper studies three alternative types of fat taxes to determine...
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Healthy Choices
Some key insights from the 2010 OECD Health Ministerial Meeting “ fiscal measures aimed specifically to change behavior are complex to design and enforce; their impact may be unpredictable as t...
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Childhood Obesity: An Economic Perspective
Crowle, Jacqueline & Turner, Erin, 2010. Childhood Obesity: An Economic Perspective, Australian Government, Productivity Commission Working Paper, Melbourne 2010 The working paper studies the...
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Obesity and the Economics of Prevention. Fit not Fat.
The book examines the scale and characteristics of the obesity epidemic, the respective roles and influence of market forces and governments, and the impact of interventions. Some key insights from...
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The effects of soft drink taxes on child and adolescent consumption
The paper investigates the potential for soft drink taxes to combat rising levels of child and adolescent obesity through a reduction in consumption. The results show that soft drinks taxation lead...
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Obesity Prevention: A Review of the Interactions and Interventions, and some Policy Implications
Amarasinghe, Anura & D’Souza, Gerard, 2010. Obesity Prevention: A Review of the Interactions and Interventions, and some Policy Implications, West Virginia University, Regional Research Institu...
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Nutritively sweetened beverage consumption and body weight
The study examined whether nutritively sweetened beverages (NSBs) can be linked to the obesity epidemic, and found that current evidence does not demonstrate conclusiely that NSB consumption has un...
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