Downing Street Rejects “Fatty Food Tax”

Downing Street (British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office) has rejected a proposal by a committee of policy makers to impose a value-added tax on high-fat foods aimed at reducing the U.K.’s skyrocketing obesity rate.

The idea, put forward by Blair’s Strategy Unit, would have varied the tax depending on the food’s nutritional content. However, it was dismissed as unworkable.

The tax would have affected many things associated with fatty fare -- pizzas, burgers and deep fried chicken. Other foods with high-fat content such as whole milk and certain cheeses also would have been included.

British policy makers have grown increasingly concerned over their country’s spiking obesity rates. More than 20 per cent of Britons are now classified as obese compared with less than 10 per cent 20 years ago.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at February 20, 2004 08:20 AM | TrackBack