Debate: Should Canada put a tax on fatty foods?
Updated: May 17, 2012
It’s a little more expensive to buy fatty foods in Denmark now that the country has imposed a "fat tax."
It’s a little more expensive to buy fatty foods in Denmark now that the country has imposed a "fat tax." The new tax aims to limit the country’s intake of fatty foods in an effort to help increase the average life expectancy of Danes, reports The Guardian.
The new tax will be applied to products such as butter, milk, pizzas, oils, meats and pre-cooked foods, and according to canada.com, it will increase food prices by adding 16 kroner ($2.87) per kilo of saturated fat in a product.
While the "fat tax" is making a statement against obesity and unhealthy food, some critics are skeptical that it will be effective.
Christian Jensen of an independent local Copenhagen supermarket says he doesn’t think the tax will make much of a difference. "If people want to buy a cake, they will buy it," he told AFP.
With a new report finding that one in four adults and one in 11 children are now considered obese in Canada, should a "fat tax" be something instituted by our government?
Would a price increase on unhealthy food prevent you from buying it?
Related:
‘ Is Canada stuck on the road to obesity?
‘ News: Are we making our children fat?
‘ Should you put your child on a diet?
