According to the BBC, Denmark has become the first country to implement a tax on unhealthy food.  According to the reports, all foods that have more than 2.3% saturated fat will get taxed.  The tax rate varies; higher saturated fat means a higher tax rate on the food.   Burgers, for example, will carry an increased price by $0.15 and butter by about $0.40 per package.  Parliament passed the tax as they believe it will increase life expectancy of Danes by three years over the next ten years.  The interesting piece in all of this is that Denmark has one of the lowest rates of obesity in the world – running about 10% compared to more than 30% in the United States.  Their life expectancy is just below 79 years of age.

A fat tax, a soda tax – the idea has been bantered about in the US, but amidst the controversy no action has been taken.  The question remains as to what the right ingredients and/or nutrients are that should be taxed.  For instance, not all saturated fat is created equal.  Studies suggest that stearic acid, one type of saturated fat, does not have the same negative effect on health that other types of saturated fat do.  What about sodium?  Should sugar figure into a tax, and if so should it be done by total sugar or added sugar? If obesity is the real issue in our country, shouldn’t the tax then be against calories?  But how would we define nutrient dense calories from non-nutrient dense calories?

Adding complexity to the issue is the fact that no one knows if implementing a fat tax or any tax on unhealthy food will work.  Yes, it worked with tobacco, but as I’ve mentioned before in this blog, the difference between tobacco and food is that you can completely cut tobacco out of your life.  Not so with food.  Will the Danes, who love butter, eat less now due to this tax?

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