Time for a Fat Tax?

In 1994 Kelly Brownell of Yale proposed a “Twinkie Tax” – the idea being that a substantial tax on unhealthy foods would reduce their consumption and improve the diet of the population, turning back the tide of obesity. Several US states (California, Tennessee, Washington) experimented with this idea, but not for long. The monies saved were not directed to their intended use, improving healthy nutrition education. And the cry that such a tax was regressive could not be denied; poor people spend a greater proportion of their income on food as it is.

The idea has been resurrected in the UK. In a model, such a fat tax could prevent about 2,300 deaths a year, according to a report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

One difficulty is deciding which sort of food to tax. Those high in saturated fats (milk, cheese), those generally regarded as “unhealthy” (Twinkies), or those with empty calories (sugared sodas)? The authors of the UK study used a complex scale that measures the healthiness of a food. But this sort of scoring system is not easy to translate to other countries.

Owners or lessees of coin-operated snack machines could make a similar change, on a small scale, fairly easily. Unhealthy choices would be labeled with a symbol and carry a 5 cent surcharge, for instance. This might be more acceptable than an across-the-board tax, and could be left to individuals to administer. (And the snack machine owner could keep the overage!)