(01-02-07) Tax junk food to beat obesity: expert

Cathy O'Leary

A LEADING health researcher has called for a 15 per cent junk-food tax, saying it would help beat the obesity epidemic by making fattening foods more expensive.
Mike Daube, professor of health policy at Perth's Curtin University, said a 15 per cent tax would net the Federal Government $1.5 billion a year ? 30 times the amount it spends on all forms of health promotion ? which could be spent on health care.
Curtin's professor of research in cancer control, Peter Howat, supported the move, saying something needed to be done to curb rising obesity rates.
Unless there was a complete package, including education and strong legislation, Australia would be in a worse situation in 10 years, he said.
Professor Daube said it was time for health authorities to get serious about obesity and hit the junk-food industry where it hurt.
Many people complained that healthy food was too expensive, but a junk-food tax would make foods such as fruit and vegetables more attractive, he said.
He estimated the junk-food market to be worth well over $10 billion a year and possibly as much as $20 billion.
"If rhetoric alone was the answer, the obesity problem would have been solved many times over. This is the acid test. Are we serious about doing something or do we just keep tinkering at the fringes?" he said.
Professor Daube said the success of tobacco control showed that hard policies achieved results.
"A tax on junk food will make people think twice," he said. It would also give the Government "desperately needed money" to spend on health promotion and health services.
Professor Daube said the tax could be based on products' levels of fat, trans fat, sugar and salt. It could encourage manufacturers to reduce these.
A 15 per cent tax would push the price of a McDonald's Big Mac meal from $5.45 to $6.27, while a KFC lunch box would jump from $8.45 to $9.70.
A spokesman for McDonald's said the company had made significant changes to many items, including the use of trans-fat-free cooking oil and low-sugar buns. By the end of the month it would be offering a low-fat, low-sodium Happy Meal that would have as much fat as half a cheese and Vegemite sandwich.
The spokesman said a "fat tax" would affect the food industry across the board, including businesses such as fish and chips shops. He hoped instead that measures introduced by McDonald's would encourage other businesses to follow

Fonte: www.theage.com.au

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