Taxing biscuits, cakes, chocolate and sweets might be more effective at reducing obesity levels than increasing the price of sugary drinks, a new study has found.
To date, taxes to lower sugar and energy intake have mainly focused on sugar sweetened drinks.
However, in the UK, high sugar snacks make up more free sugar and energy intake than sugary drinks.
Now scientists claim that increasing the price of high sugar snacks by 20% would reduce annual average energy intake by around 8,900 calories, leading to an average weight loss of 1.3 kilograms over one year.
In contrast, a similar price increase on sugary drinks would result in an average weight loss of just 203 grams over one year.
The researchers used a process known as economic modelling to assess the impact of a 20% price increase on high sugar snack foods in the UK.
Modelling was based on food purchase data for 36,324 UK households and National Diet and Nutrition Survey data for 2,544 adults.
Results were grouped by household income and body mass index (BMI) to estimate changes in weight and prevalence of obesity over one year.
The researchers claim that a 20% price increase in high sugar snacks "has the potential to reduce overall energy purchased among all body mass index and income groups in the UK, leading to an estimated population level reduction in obesity prevalence of 2.7 percentage points after the first year."
However, the model predicts that the impact of the price increase would be largest in low income households with the highest rates of obesity.
"The results also suggest that price increases in high sugar snacks could also make an important contribution to reducing health inequalities driven by diet related disease," the researchers said.
Obesity is estimated to affect around 1 in every 4 adults in the UK, and around 1 in every 5 children aged 10 to 11, with higher rates among those living in more deprived areas.
The authors argue that fiscal policies aimed at reducing sugar, salt, and saturated fat intake "might be useful, but they fail to incentivise the consumption of healthy foods."
The authors suggest that tackling obesity "requires close scrutiny of the social determinants of food environments and a systemic, sustained group of initiatives aimed at reducing health inequalities."
The study was published in the BMJ today.
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