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Denmark’s fat tax

3 October 2011

Denmark has become the first country in the world to introduce a tax on foods seen as being harmful to health. There will be an extra charge on items that contain more than 2.3% of a particular type of fat.

Reporter:

Tim Allman

A cooked breakfast of bacon and eggs

Foods that are high in saturated¹ fat are now subject to the tax

report:

When you think of Denmark, you think of pastries², butter and bacon. So perhaps a fat tax isn’t a bad idea, a levy³ that will be added to any foods that are high in saturated fat; milk, cheese and meat, for instance.

Make it more expensive, reduce consumption, improve health. Well, that is the theory.

Some shops have reported increased sales, people hoarding⁴ food to beat the price rise. The Danish Food and Drink Federation⁵ says some might just cross the border to do their shopping.

There is certainly some scepticism. Scientists insist that saturated fat is not the right target. Salt and sugar cause more health problems. But one study claims close to 4% of premature⁶ deaths in Denmark are caused by people consuming too much saturated fat. So hit shoppers in the pocket, not the waistband.

Tim Allman, BBC News