Taxing junk food can help reduce obesity, London study finds

Imperial College researchers say tax could help subsidise healthier alternatives
Daniel Keane29 April 2024

Introducing a tax on unhealthy food could help to reduce obesity, a study has revealed.

Researchers at Imperial College Business School reviewed results from 20 studies from countries who have implemented taxes on foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS).

They found that countries such as Mexico, which has an 8 per cent tax on junk food including sweets and crisps, saw a reduction in the sale of taxed foods of 18 per cent in supermarkets and up to 40 per cent in other retailers.

The study's authors argued that a tax of between 20 per cent and 50 per cent on unhealthy foods could be used to fund subsidies for healthier alternatives.

Low-income groups, who were greater consumers of unhealthy foods beforehand, showed the biggest drop in consumption once the tax was implemented, according to the study.

The findings are particularly relevant for London, which is seeing rates of obesity increase among children in particular. Nearly one in four London children in primary school are now obese, according to the latest NHS Digital figures.

The figures also show a significant variation in obesity rates between richer and poorer areas of the capital. Nearly a third of year 6 pupils in Barking and Dagenham were obese (33.2 per cent) in 2022 compared with 12.8 per cent in Richmond upon Thames.

Dr Elisa Pineda, an academic at Imperial's School of Public Health who authored the paper, said: "For governments, especially in the UK, our findings underscore the efficacy of HFSS food taxes as a viable strategy to reduce unhealthy food consumption and address the public health challenges of obesity.

"The evidence that people in lower-income groups benefit the most from these taxes suggests that they can also play a role in reducing health inequalities."

She added: “The positive outcomes associated with combining HFSS food taxes with subsidies for healthier options make it a compelling policy option for governments looking to encourage healthy eating and reduce the impacts of obesity. However, to be most effective and avoid consumers simply substituting other unhealthy options, it is important that these taxes are paired with increased availability of healthy, affordable alternatives."

The study's authors also cited the success of a sugar tax introduced by the Government on soft drinks, which has seen the average sugar content of affected products fall 46 per cent from 2015 to 2020.

One of the UK's largest food firms, Danone, last year said that ministers should consider taxing products high in fat, salt and sugar as food producers have not shown “enough appetite to change”.

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