Let’s have a Fat Tax!
Posted Under: Fast Food Category- You Can Select Healthy Fast Food at Captaincooksblog.com
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Watching the T.V every night it appears like we are under siege from the fast food companies. I cannot remember so many dollar menus and value menus being promoted. Loss leaders are being used as ‘carrots’ to entice people into the stores, ( how can it be possible to sell 2 Big Macs for $3.50 and make money? the PZone from Pizza Hut 1lb of food for $1… cmon!!).
The ferocity of this marketing seems to tie in nicely with our current economic downturn. As more people lose their jobs/homes/retirement, the Big 4 of fast food are acting like the answer to our prayers. Bring me your hungry…. we will feed you and your family for next to nothing. Despite this McDonalds still made $4.95 Billion in net profit in 2010!
Why is it that the tobacco and alcohol companies pay massive taxes for their right to kill the population yet the junk food business gets a free pass? Think of the educational programs you could fund by taking a percentage of that profit. Across the industry that would be a staggering amount. Remember home economics where kids got a chance to learn how to cook the basics??
Denmark seems to be taking this idea seriously and just passed a new law imposing a “fat tax” on foods such as butter and oil as a way to curb unhealthy eating habits and increase the life expectancy of its citizens. They already have a tax on sugar, chocolate and soft drinks. “Higher fees on sugar, fat and tobacco is an important step on the way toward a higher average life expectancy in Denmark,” health minister Jakob Axel Nielsen said when he introduced the idea in 2009, because “saturated fats can cause cardiovascular disease and cancer.” It doesn’t take a visionary to see that this is a good idea……
How about it America???? I’d love to hear your comments……….
Reader Comments
Tough one. On the one hand, unhealthy living costs..everyone. On the other hand, it verges on big brother.
Thanks for the MBC follow.
I think the theory behind why Tobacco and Alcohol are taxed is because they are known killers that are not NEEDED. People see “foods” as needed and don’t want to restrict them. I am not saying I agree, just that I can see that other side too. I think fast food itself should have special taxing. I don’t however think it will do much.
As for taxes on foods with “fat” that very much bothers me as organic full fat milk and organic butter and heavy cream are things my diabetic self can deal with, but I can’t deal with any grains at all. Life is hard enough without everything going low-fat (HIGH CARB) for someone who has a glucose issue. We need to step carefully when it comes to food and punishment.
You get more bees with honey as they say. Your work, is honey. Thank you for all you do.
Following you back from woodworkingmomma.blogspot.com
An interesting article. I can see both sides of the story, since we are a very low income family. We don’t watch a lot of tv or spend most of our money going out to eat or on junk food, but I know several that spend what little money they have on things they can afford. Since the junk food items are usually cheaper for the amount you get (not to mention more convenient a lot of times) I see people leaning that way when shopping. I always make up my grocery list before heading out so that I don’t fall into the “Oh this can food product would be so much simpler to fix for dinner than the meal what I had thought” With two kids and a very busy schedule it can be very easy to fall into this routine. I enjoyed watching a season of Jamie Oliver’s food revolution to see how little steps can be taken to make healthier choices.
I’ve heard of the fat tax before and it is a controversial topic. In some respects it makes sense, we do tax tobacco and alcohol with a “sin tax”. I’m not sure if it will solve the real problem though, unless the revenue for this tax money is going into educating the general public about healthy living. I’m not sure if taxing something heavily deters people from it or just makes them cut out something else in their life to have it. Like if they cant afford cigarettes so they eat the 99 cents menu at mc donalds just so they can get the cigarettes.
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I’m a new follower