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Not sure if it is the right way to go myself....
In a sunny park in Copenhagen, Mathias Buch Jensen was unimpressed. All around him, people were tucking into beer and chips. There were few signs that the latest offensive in the worldwide war on obesity was having much effect.But then Denmark might not be the best place to experiment with a "fat tax" on lardy products. "You know, Danes are big fans of butter," Buch Jensen mused. "We love fat."
He added: "Knowing the Danes, it could have the opposite effect. Like naughty children, when they are told not to do something, they do it even more."
In a country known for butter and bacon, Denmark's new tax is a body blow. Danes who go shopping today will pay an extra 25p on a pack of butter and 8p on a packet of crisps, as the new tax on foods which contain more than 2.3% saturated fat comes into effect. Everything from milk to oils, meats and pre-cooked foods such as pizzas will be targeted. The additional revenue raised will fund obesity-fighting measures.
.....Continued on the [url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/02/denmark-fat-tax-obesity ]Guardian[/url]
Also on the [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15137948 ]beeb[/url].
Don't they need a bit of fat to help cope with the cold? Seems a bit unfair to me.
I'm all for live and let live but we have a serious problem. Let's be honest, the way some Brits stuff their faces is a national embarrassment. Fat stupid parents and their fat kids.....it is tantamount to child abuse. I don't know why we don't just do it, VAT on fatty and sugary food, let's see if it works.
They should do it on processed foods not the basics such as butter or cream. I am guessing people are geting fat eating crisps, sweets, beer, and sugary drinks not due to them having too much butter on their toast in the morning.
They should do it on processed foods not the basics such as butter or cream
Exactly right. I dont think many people are obese because they are cooking the wrong things at home. Maybe in some cases, and the full English is likely the main culprit but we know what it is.....crips, fizzy-pop, KFC. Tax it and spend the money on good school dinners.
Who is going to be the first on here to say "Oh but we cant victimise poor people....."?
does that include pork scratchings?
Are there plans to introduce a tax on processed carbs when this doesn't work?
Tax always works, but some education on the subject would be quite nice.
Kids come out of school knowing more about an irrelevant West Midlands playwright from the 1500s than they do about how to cook for themselves and how best to fuel their own bodies.
It's a crap idea IMO. For a lot of people it won't change their eating habits, will just leave them a bit less well off. For those that go for processed crap stuff due to its low cost/convenience (usually poorer families) then how's it helping them? Unless the tax is used to subsidise healthier food then it makes them even less well off.
They should do it on processed foods not the [b]basics[/b] such as butter or [b]cream[/b]
I'm not even sure that I'd consider butter a basic either.
More exercise in school, better education more fitter healthier role models.
It won't work on its own, has to be part of education. Look how smoking rates have declined over the last 40yrs, a combination of better education about the consequences and hitting people in the pocket.
Sort of like the idea but would improve (imho) it by having something like 'item specific vat' and raise it on shoite and lower it on healthy food, agree with education comments.
Surprised about butter and bacon. Sounds a bit mental as the evidence that fat and protein are the problem appears to be become more discredited year or year.
I haven't read the article so don't know the facts, but I've never let that stop me voicing an opinion before 🙂