Featured Review: Taxation of the fat content of foods for reducing their consumption and preventing obesity or other adverse health outcomes

ConclusionsWe did not find enough reliable evidence to find out whether a tax on the fat content of foods resulted in people eating less fat, or less saturated fat.We did not find any evidence about how a tax on the fat content of foods affected obesity or overweight.The results of our review will change when further evidence becomes available.Discussing the findings of this review, lead author Stefan Lhachimi said, “A tax on saturated fats could be in principle a good approach to reduce the consumption of so-called junk foods, a group of food products which is fiendishly tricky to define in legal terms. By taxing a main and unhealthy component of junk foods, i.e. saturated fat, consumption could be discourag ed.” He continued, “The Danish fat tax is a lost opportunity. As an active researcher it is sad to see that the accountable authorities did not implement a thorough prospective evaluation of this game-changing policy initiative.”Read the full review on the Cochrane LibraryLearn more about Cochrane Public HealthFriday, September 11, 2020
Source: Cochrane News and Events - Category: Information Technology Authors: Source Type: news