Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: paul.fr on 12/07/2007 10:52:38

Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: paul.fr on 12/07/2007 10:52:38
from the news

Quote
A "fat tax" on unhealthy foods could prevent more than 3,000 deaths from heart attack and stroke every year in the UK, experts claim.

Some researchers are in favour of such a tax while others would prefer to see healthy foods subsidised instead.

In 2004, then prime minister Tony Blair rejected the idea for a tax on fatty foods such as cakes and biscuits, saying it would make Britain too much like a "nanny state".

The new study involved testing different economic models to work out how a fat tax may affect people's buying habits.

Three different approaches were tried out, with the first involving a tax on foods with high levels of saturated fats, such as whole butter, cheese, cakes and pastries and puddings.

The second was to apply a tax to foods with a high "unhealthiness score" - known as the SSCg3d score. For example, spinach scored -12, while chocolate digestive biscuits scored +29.
The third approach was to introduce a tax on a wider range of products with the aim of cutting the intake of fat, salt and sugar.

The third approach was found to be the most effective in reducing the number of deaths, preventing up to 3,200 deaths from heart disease and stroke every year, equivalent to a drop of 1.7% across the nation.

Food expenditure would go up by 4.6% or 67p per week, or around £2 billion annually across the UK.

The research was led by Dr Oliver Mytton at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Tony Blair, worrying that we may turn in to a nanny state. well that sticks in the throat (no pun intended), and secondly, who are these experts that think adding 67p (35 cents US) to the weekly shopping bill will encourage people to eat more "healthily"?
Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: dentstudent on 12/07/2007 10:55:51
Paul, I think your cents calculation is wrong. It should be something over a dollar....perhaps you divided instead of multiplied?
Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: paul.fr on 12/07/2007 11:01:03
Paul, I think your cents calculation is wrong. It should be something over a dollar....perhaps you divided instead of multiplied?

That i did, it should be $1.3US. Thanks, Stuart...tries to think of a good excuse for poor maths...er i lost a finger in a accident at work.
Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: dentstudent on 12/07/2007 11:04:46
*thinks of amusing annecdote along the lines of "putting your finger in the bacon slicer" joke but then decides against it because it would be steering away from the topic a little bit, and frankly we've had too much of that recently, what with people dribbling on and on incessently about other things that one way or another have nothing to do with the thread......actually it was someones willy but it doesn't fit too well with the first comment about fingers......*
Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 12/07/2007 11:43:46
Looks like the socialists are intending hitting the poor yet again. How the hell is someone on benefit supposed to afford "healthy" foods? Reduced fat stuff is always more expensive.
Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: Bored chemist on 12/07/2007 20:36:55
These people aren't socialists, they are "new labour".
BTW, the 3000 people each year who don't die; what happens to them?
Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 12/07/2007 22:01:32
These people aren't socialists, they are "new labour".
BTW, the 3000 people each year who don't die; what happens to them?

My mistake. I apologise.
Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: chris on 12/07/2007 22:11:29
No, I think a far fairer approach would be a set of scales at the supermarket till; not for the fruits an vegetables, for the customer. This could be used to calculate a multiplier which is added to the cost of certain unhealthy, fat-provoking foods. If you're fat, 500% multiplier. If your anorexic, they knock money off.

And whilst they're at it, I'd like to see the same set of scales plumbed in at the airport to weigh passengers and their luggage together.

Then the fat f****r in front of me in the queue when I was last at the airport wouldn't get off without paying a penny extra (couldn't say pound could I?!) whilst I get into loads of trouble for having an extra kilo or so in my case; even if it was cocaine.

Chris
Title: A proposed "fat tax", how bonkers.
Post by: DoctorBeaver on 12/07/2007 22:21:12
No, I think a far fairer approach would be a set of scales at the supermarket till; not for the fruits an vegetables, for the customer. This could be used to calculate a multiplier which is added to the cost of certain unhealthy, fat-provoking foods. If you're fat, 500% multiplier. If your anorexic, they knock money off.

And whilst they're at it, I'd like to see the same set of scales plumbed in at the airport to weigh passengers and their luggage together.

Then the fat f****r in front of me in the queue when I was last at the airport wouldn't get off without paying a penny extra (couldn't say pound could I?!) whilst I get into loads of trouble for having an extra kilo or so in my case; even if it was cocaine.

Chris

Don't I know that feeling! On a flight back from the STates there were what looked like father and son (son looked about 12 years old) and between them they took up 4 seats in the middle of a 747.