Health News
- Healthy Food Is Less Expensive Than Junk Food, Study Finds
Though it's widely believed that healthy food is more expensive than junk food, a new government analysis shows that does not have to be the case. "In fact, carrots, onions, pinto beans, lettuce, mashed potatoes, bananas and orange juice are all less...
- Penny-per-ounce Tax On Sugar Drinks Could Save $17 Billion, Cut Consumption And Prevent Disease And Death, Academics Say
More than $17 billion in medical costs over 10 years could be saved if sugared drinks were taxed at 1 cent per ounce, and it would prevent 95,000 cases of coronary heart disease, 8,000 strokes and 26,000 premature deaths, say researchers at Columbia University...
- Wal-mart Says It Will Make Store-brand Food Healthier, Cut Prices For Fruits And Vegetables To Encourage Consumption
Wal-Mart has announced plans to drop its prices on fruit and vegetables and offer packaged foods with lower salt, fat and sugar contents. The company's efforts are the result of talks with First Lady Michelle Obama, whose main agenda is to fight childhood...
- Is The Soda Ban Illegal?
By Dr. Madelyn FernstromThe debate on whether the serving size of a soda should be regulated by the government is continuing to heat up. I?ve been writing about this controversial ban on selling soda with a limit of 16 ounces because this is a prime...
- The Verdict On Sugar
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Americans have a complex relationship with sugar. The USDA estimates that the average intake per person is 70-100 pounds of added sugars each year. Added sugars are those not naturally present in food. That means you may...
Health News
The ?Fat Tax? in Denmark
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
There?s a lot of debate about whether high-calorie ?junk? foods should be taxed to help stem the obesity epidemic in our country. Maybe we can gain some insights from the recent policy change in Denmark.
About a year ago, Danish lawmakers instituted a fat tax ? a surcharge of foods high in artery-clogging saturated fat. The Danish tax ministry has now repealed that decision, citing a negative effect on both businesses and consumer buying power.
So what went wrong? Perhaps one problem was taxing a whole category of nutrients (fat) rather than specific foods. The bigger problem seems to be that consumers just bought these foods elsewhere. They went to neighboring countries where prices were lower to buy their favorite butters and ice creams.
Most of us are familiar with the ?soda tax? issue in our country. Most recently, a bill that would have imposed taxes on sugary drinks was defeated in California.
The Danish legislature has now cancelled plans for a tax on sugar.
Is taxing food a good way to improve the health of a nation? What do you think?
- Healthy Food Is Less Expensive Than Junk Food, Study Finds
Though it's widely believed that healthy food is more expensive than junk food, a new government analysis shows that does not have to be the case. "In fact, carrots, onions, pinto beans, lettuce, mashed potatoes, bananas and orange juice are all less...
- Penny-per-ounce Tax On Sugar Drinks Could Save $17 Billion, Cut Consumption And Prevent Disease And Death, Academics Say
More than $17 billion in medical costs over 10 years could be saved if sugared drinks were taxed at 1 cent per ounce, and it would prevent 95,000 cases of coronary heart disease, 8,000 strokes and 26,000 premature deaths, say researchers at Columbia University...
- Wal-mart Says It Will Make Store-brand Food Healthier, Cut Prices For Fruits And Vegetables To Encourage Consumption
Wal-Mart has announced plans to drop its prices on fruit and vegetables and offer packaged foods with lower salt, fat and sugar contents. The company's efforts are the result of talks with First Lady Michelle Obama, whose main agenda is to fight childhood...
- Is The Soda Ban Illegal?
By Dr. Madelyn FernstromThe debate on whether the serving size of a soda should be regulated by the government is continuing to heat up. I?ve been writing about this controversial ban on selling soda with a limit of 16 ounces because this is a prime...
- The Verdict On Sugar
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom Americans have a complex relationship with sugar. The USDA estimates that the average intake per person is 70-100 pounds of added sugars each year. Added sugars are those not naturally present in food. That means you may...