Taxing Foods Differently to Fight Obesity

Taxing Foods Differently to Fight Obesity

What if we redesigned the way we tax food? A tax structure where the amount of tax you pay on food depends on how nutritious it is. The idea is simple:

🍎 Low tax on fresh, whole foods that nourish your body, like fruits, veggies, lean meats, etc.

🍩 High tax on ultra-processed food that’s been linked to obesity, diabetes, and other chronic illnesses, like sugary snacks, fizzy drinks, deep-fried fast food, and so on.

By shifting the tax burden away from healthy food and onto the junk, we could make nutritious options more affordable and encourage better eating habits across the country.

How Would We Actually Do This?

Back in 2013, the UK introduced the traffic light system on food packaging—green for good, amber for okay, red for not-so-great. So, what if we used something similar to decide food taxes?

We could set up a tiered system based on nutritional value:

1️⃣ Healthy & Nutritious Foods

Low tax. These are foods packed with vitamins, fibre, and healthy fats. Great for overall health and disease prevention. Examples are fresh fruit and veg, unprocessed meats, foods, and foods with no added sugar no added sugar.

2️⃣ Moderate Foods

Middle-tier tax. Not terrible, but not perfect. These might have some good nutrients but also come with added sugars, preservatives, etc. Examples are things like white sugary bread, flavoured yogurt, canned soup with preservatives, etc.

3️⃣ Highly Processed & Unhealthy Foods

High tax. These are low in nutrients, high in sugar, salt, bad fats, and additives. Basically, the stuff we all know we shouldn’t eat too often. Things like fizzy drinks, sweets, deep-fried fast food, sugary cereals, crisps, and instant noodles.

The Pros and Cons

✅ Potential Benefits of a Healthy Food Tax System

1. Healthier Choices

   Making fresh, nutritious foods more affordable while increasing the cost of unhealthy options, Consumers would have a financial benefit to choose healthier meals.

   
   

2. Lower Healthcare Costs

   Obesity, diabetes, and heart disease cost the NHS billions. Help people eat better, and those costs go down.

   
   

3. Better Products

   If unhealthy foods become more expensive due to higher taxes, food manufacturers might be motivated to improve their products to include fewer harmful ingredients and more beneficial nutrients.

   
   

4. Helping Low-Income Families

   It's often those who struggle with money who are the ones who suffer most from poor diets. Making healthy food cheaper could help close the gap.

⚠️ Challenges and Considerations

Every positive action has a negative reaction:

1. Who Decides What’s “Healthy”?

   Different people have different nutritional needs, myself included. One size doesn’t fit all. Deciding exactly which foods belong in each category can be complex and controversial. I have different beliefs than some about what's healthy and what's not. What's healthy for an athlete might not be healthy for someone with a sedentary lifestyle. Also, religions might need to be taken into account.

   
   

2. Public Pushback

   Obviously people never like being told what to eat, especially if they feel they’re being punished at the checkout. Some people would definitely see this as government overreach, arguing that individuals should have the right to choose their own diets without financial penalties.

   
   

3. Impact on Businesses

   Fast food chains and snack brands might take a hit (I'd love that, but they definitely wouldn't). We’d need to help them transition with incentives and reformulation support.

   
   

4. Supply & Demand

   Supply meets demand. If everyone suddenly wants more fresh produce, we’d need to make sure there’s enough to go around. That means supporting farmers and local food systems.

Better or Worse?

A nutrition-based tax system isn’t magic, but it could be a big step in the right direction. By making healthier food more accessible and gently nudging people away from heavily processed stuff, we might just start to tackle some of the UK’s biggest health problems at the source.

Keep in mind that it wouldn't mean banning anything or making people feel guilty. Increasing the tax on junk food is about giving people a better shot at good health, no matter their background.