A good way to cut down on obesity?

[R13]

WASHINGTON (AFP) ? Taxing high-fat and sugary junk food is a more effective way to fight obesity than making healthy foods like fruit and vegetables more affordable, a study published Wednesday shows.

Researchers at the University of Buffalo in New York, led by psychologist Leonard Epstein, gave 42 mothers just over 22 dollars to spend at a "supermarket" set up in a room at the university and stocked with images of everything from bananas to whole wheat bread to cola drinks and cookies.

The women were told to imagine that they had no food in the house and that they were going to the supermarket to get the week's shopping for their family.

In the simulated supermarket, the women had the choice of 30 healthy and 30 junk food items, four healthy beverages -- two types of juice, skim milk and water -- and four sugary drinks, all represented in images.

The women went shopping five times. The first time, the prices of all the food and drink items were on par with those in a local supermarket.

Twice, the prices of healthier foods -- those that deliver more nutrients for fewer calories -- were lowered, and on the remaining two shopping trips, the prices of the unhealthy food and drink items were raised.

The researchers found that hiking the price of junk food, as would happen with a so-called "sin tax," was more effective at getting the women to buy a week's shopping that was lower in overall calories than was cutting the price of the healthy food items.

In fact, cutting the prices of healthy foods like broccoli, yoghurt, grapes, eggs and fish actually increased the overall calorie value of the foods and drinks the women put in their shopping carts.

"It appears that mothers took the money they saved on subsidized fruits and vegetables and treated the family to less healthy alternatives, such as chips and soda pop," said the authors of the study, published this week in Psychological Science.

"Subsidizing broccoli and yoghurt... may be unlikely to bring about the massive weight loss the nation now requires," they said.

Around a third of US adults older than 20 and nearly one in five US kids aged six to 19 are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Taxing junk food, on the other hand, seemed to do the trick. The mothers cut back on high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and bought more healthy foods that were lower in calories.

In the experiment, taxing junk foods by 10 percent resulted in the shoppers buying 14.4 percent less high-fat and sugary foods and drinks. That meant their week's shopping contained 6.5 percent fewer calories, the study said.

Junk food tax could help fight obesity: US study - Yahoo! News

[Milk3]

I think this is stupid. Let people eat and do what they want who cares if they are fat? We're all doing to die why not die happy? What happened to land of the free ?

[R13]

It's not even being proposed, that was just a study that proved it does work, so your "land of the free" is still there.


And it doesn't say ban anything, it said raising taxes on them to sway them from buying it, very small taxes. It's a great way to raise money, a soda tax would do great, on alcohol/wine would be too.

[cosmo99]

next up....Tax on Air we breathe..

[SBG]

This study is stupid. If people want something bad enough they'll pay whatever price for it. They've proven that with tobacco products.

[R13]

This study is stupid. If people want something bad enough they'll pay whatever price for it. They've proven that with tobacco products.

I never said that people will stop, but you don't think people cut back on smoking some? That was mainly done for the money, the cutting back on smoking was just a plus.

next up....Tax on Air we breathe..

Again, this isn't being proposed, just a study.

But with that said, a small hike like some states have done have raised a ton of money, I think Mass. did it with soda and alcohol and revenue has went up big time.

[cosmo99]

Even though its a study some idiot will want this to happen. They might as well tax everything anyone enjoys. They tax everything as it is now. Nest thing you know they will be taxing you everytime you decide to play your PS3,XBOX 360, or whatever you may like.

[1inStripes]

I never said that people will stop, but you don't think people cut back on smoking some? That was mainly done for the money, the cutting back on smoking was just a plus.





Again, this isn't being proposed, just a study.

But with that said, a small hike like some states have done have raised a ton of money, I think Mass. did it with soda and alcohol and revenue has went up big time.

Actually I would say that most smokers didn't cut back, just switched to a cheaper brand. A few may have quit, but most switched or just paid the tax. If they didn't, the extra revenue wouldn't have happened. Its sad really.

[R13]

That's the mentality right there that I don't get? That assumption that things will be stretched to be like that, that's unrealistic .There is nothing but good that would come from something like what I talked about, people would be healthier(without a doubt, even by a little bit) and it would raise a lot of much needed money. Mass. did a 3 cent hike per 12 oz I believe, that didn't break anyone but raised a lot of money.

The $1 per pack raise on cigs (i think that was how much it ended up being) funds extended health care to 4 million kids and helped people cut down on smoking some, which some a lot more which was great.

People want debts lowered and everything, but don't want to pay.

[imported_elp6n]

In the grand scheme of things, taxing junk food more heavily might change buying habits for a week or two but Americans are so addicted to refined carbohydrates they'd sacrifice to have those things in their homes.

If it was easy to ditch the bad foods obesity wouldn't be such a big problem right now.

I think the price of junk food has contributed to the initial obesity problem, since you can get more bang for your buck on the junk. A box of little debbies can run about $1.50, and you get several snacks out of it. A bag of frozen green beans costs about $1.50 and you get one meal's worth of dinner side out of it.

Folks buy it because it's cheap AND it's hard to ditch the junk after the fact.