Lecture 28: Food Taxes Flashcards
why should we have food taxation?
- sales taxes have been successfully used as part of public health intervention packages to reduce harms associated with tobacco and alcohol
- evidence of effectiveness and potential effectiveness
- recommended by WHO and other health organisations
- supports dietary guidance and demonstrates in real terms potential harms and benefits of different dietary recommendations
what evidence exists for fruit and vegetable subsidies?
- evidence is indirect: largely from modelling studies
- modelling studies are only as accurate as the data used to underpin them, and are based on a range of assumptions
- food choice and purchasing - difficult to account for substitution
what does research suggest about fruit and vegetable tax?
research for a 20% fresh fruit and vegetable subsidy:
- the fruit and veg subsidy resulted in increased fruit and vegetable purchasing
- the fruit and veg subsidy decrease saturated fat and salt purchasing overall
what is the reason for taxing sugar sweetened beverages?
- poor state of oral health
- long dental waiting lists
- child obesity
- other health conditions
what are the WHO definitions and recommendations for sugar?
Free Sugars
- free sugars are added to foods and beverages by manufacturer, cook or consumers and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and concentrates
- WHO recommends a reduced intake of free sugars throughout the lifecourse
- less than 10% of total energy intake (adults and children)
- further reduction of free sugars to below 5% of total energy intake
what are sugar sweetened beverages?
- non-alcoholic beverages that contain added sweeteners. e.g. soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, less than 100% fruit or vegetable juice, milk drinks, sweetened waters etc
which organisations recommend taxing SSBs to improve and reduce obesity?
- NZ Heart Foundation
- NZ Dental Association
- NZ Medical Association
- World Health Organisation
- World Cancer Research Fund
- World Bank Group
why should we tax SSBs?
aims to reduce consumption and improve health
- sugar consumption is associated with adverse health effects
- specific adverse health effects of SSBs particularly oral health
- SSBs are high energy, low nutrient
- environmental costs of production of SSBs
- Tax on SSbs is relatively easy to implement compared to other food and nutrition policy options
- Revenue generating
- Public support
what are some oppositions to SSBs?
resistance is mainly from the industry
- “it wont work”
- lobbying politicians and public information/marketing campaigns
- contesting scientific evidence and providing misinformation
- legal challenges
- threatened adverse economic effects on employment, economy, economic growth and could force production overseas
what types of tax are there?
excise tax - tax levied on a particular product
import tax - tax collected on imported products
GST/VAT - tax added to goods and services that consumers buy
how does SSB tax work?
SSB tax works to reduce consumption and improve the population by:
- increasing retail prices
- raising public awareness
- incentivising non-price industry responses
- generating government revenue to be reinvested into public health
are SSB taxes effective?
Mexico and UK saw benefits from SSB tax
what else should be done along with SSB taxes?
- regulation of marketing and sponsorship of SSBs
- mandatory front pack labelling
- limit access in schools, hospital, sports areas
- include recommendations and guidelines about SSBs
- ensure access to potable water in communities and settings
- widen taxation to include other milk and fruit drinks
- targets for sugar content in food
