Report: “Sugar Tax Should Help Lower the Price of Fruit and Veg”

16 Jul 2015 --- A new report published by the British Medical Association (BMA) suggests that a tax on sugary soft drinks could be used to lower the price of fruit and vegetables in a bid to reduce obesity.

The study, entitled Food for Thought, suggests that less expensive produce would help people eat more healthily. It also notes that a 20p sugar tax on unhealthy soft drinks could kickstart a long-term goal of taxing a wide range of products that fuel obesity.

The BMA study highlighted figures from the 2007 LIDNS (Low Income Diet and Nutrition Survey) that showed low-income households consume more processed meats, pizza, and soft drinks, and have less healthy dietary patterns.

US food policy academic Kelly Brownell suggested that fruit and vegetable marketers could seek to partner with sugar tax lobbyists to make the most of any diverted revenue. 

“If fruit and veg are ever to compete with dairy, beef and other large sectors it’s going to be important to co-ordinate rather than splinter,” he said. “It can be a very powerful partnership between people who care about public health but from different points of view.”

The BMA said academic research suggests that healthiest diets cost double the price of unhealthy ones, and while the price of unhealthy foods has been shown to be decreasing over time, the gap between the price of healthy and unhealthy foods is widening.