Denmark Taxes the Fat
shawnzam
Enjoying fatty food in Denmark just became more expensive. The country's new "fat tax" charges around $3 per 2.2 pounds of saturated fat. Prices on food items like burgers and butter are set to go up in a country that also pays more for its sodas and sugar. Any item with more than 2.3% saturated fat must be taxed.
The country's parliament passed the resolution in an effort to increase life expectancy in Denmark. International life expectancy is 79 years, but Danes fall below the mark. Parliament want to increase Danish life expectancy by three years over the next ten years. But one Danish citizen told the Guardian that the tax could result in more harm than good.
"Knowing the Danes, it could have the opposite effect. Like naughty children, when they are told not to do something, they do it even more."
The new law is drastic though, seeing as Denmark's obesity rate is less than 10%, and Britain's obesity level is at 24.5%, while 15% of Europe is obese. Some argue that laws should target sodium, sugar and carbs if countries want to see results. For now, though, Danes will have to fork over the extra cash if they want to dig in to their beloved saturated fats.
Email to Friend
Write to Editor
Print Article
