In light of Mexico’s recent commitment to a tax on sugary drinks and junk food, new public opinion data from the Obesity Policy Coalition has revealed that Australians are also in favour of pricing interventions to curb bad eating habits.
The Obesity Policy Coalition (which is a partnership between Diabetes Australia – Vic, Cancer Council Victoria and the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention at Deakin University) commissioned a survey of over 1,200 Australian adults in 2012, asking them if they would be in favour of a tax on both sugary drinks and junk foods to help reduce the cost of healthy food and support health programs.
The results found that two thirds of respondents (64 percent) were in favour of a tax on soft drinks to help reduce the cost of healthy food for people on low incomes with 42 percent of respondents strongly in favour.
More than half of the respondents were in favour of a tax being imposed on junk food if the funds raised were spent on health programs, as is the case in Mexico.
Jane Martin, executive manager of the Obesity Policy Coalition said that the findings of the survey confirm that the public is supportive of a range of interventions, including price levers, to help address the issue of obesity in Australia.
“More than 60% of Australian adults and 25% of children are currently overweight or obese, and we know that sugary drinks and other high-energy, nutrient-poor products are a major contributor to the problem,” said Martin.
“Public approval of a tax on unhealthy foods or soft drink is already similar or stronger than the public approval of tobacco taxation policies at the time they were implemented.
“We know with other public health issues, such as tobacco control, price can be an effective deterrent when applied to products which result in risks to health. Aggressive pricing strategies from soft drink manufacturers means sugary drinks are often cheaper than bottled water or milk,” she said.
“We believe using tax to increase the price of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and junk food should be investigated in Australia as part of a comprehensive approach to the obesity problem. We would also suggest investigating the potential for revenue raised to be used to off-set the cost of healthy food for those on low income. If people then chose the healthier alternatives, in this model, their grocery bills could in fact become cheaper.”