As obesity levels rise in the United Kingdom an argument has been put forward for junk food to be taxed. This has been considered in the past by government experts and doctors from the British Medical association marginally voted against a ‘fat tax’ on chocolate last year. America are considering a tax on sugary drinks to pay for health care, whilst Denmark already has its own tax on junk food.
Many experts don’t think that taxing junk food will reduce obesity levels, believing that there are other factors to consider. Low income families may suffer from a tax on junk food as a larger proportion of their income is spent on food, much of it being convenience food that is cheaper. One solution is to use the tax on junk food to reduce the cost of healthier alternatives which tend to be higher priced. Many people wouldn’t appreciate the government controlling what they eat, although government intervention does seem necessary as heart disease is predicted to increase by 20 percent and diabetes type 2 to rise by 7 percent by 2050.
Many experts consider a tax on junk food to be inadequate and should be used in conjunction with other measures such as clearer food labelling, less advertising of junk food and subsidising healthy options. Improved health education including nutritional advice and kid’s exercise programmes would help improve awareness.
It is also possible that as a nation we eat far too much food, including junk food. If that is the case a tax on junk food wouldn’t be effective. Perhaps it is time for everyone to consider how much they eat and the amount of exercise taken. Takeaways, convenience food and sweet treats are all too easy to purchase, saving precious time in our already busy lives.
Andrew Lansley, health secretary, is due to publish a white paper on public health for England which will outline his plans to tackle the problem of obesity.
