Can We Legislate Healthy Eating?
Finland, France, and Mexico tax sweetened drinks. Norway taxes chocolate and sweets. The Mayor of Turin is promoting a vegetarian/vegan diet. Will it work? Can we legislate healthy eating? Combating Obesity In 2013, 42 million infants and young children world-wide were overweight or obese. Cities and countries around the world are taking note and trying to promote a low-sugar diet by taxing sugar. But can it work? A reduction in the number of smokers in Canada appears to be linked to the introduction of a tax on tobacco products. But the impact hasn’t been evenly distributed. Individuals with a lower income are hardest hit by the tax on tobacco products, but a very small percentage has stopped smoking. The greatest change has been among people with a higher income and more education. In the United Kingdom, the government promised to take strong measures to address childhood obesity. In addition to a sugar tax, plans included restricting television ads and supermarket pro...