Will price affect fatty food consumption?
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) plans to discuss ways of using price to reduce the consumption of fatty foods and sugary soft drinks. The issue has been pencilled in for an FSA board meeting in autumn of this year, a spokesperson for the food safety body confirmed to just-drinks yesterday (10 May).
It is thought that forcing up the price of full sugar soft drinks, as well foods high in saturated fat, may help to reduce consumption. One way of doing this could be via value added tax, which currently does not apply to food.
The FSA spokesperson was, however, keen to emphasise that thinking is only at an embryonic stage.
Reducing sugar and saturated fat consumption has been a key focus for the FSA. In March, for instance, the FSA published recommendations on how food manufacturers and retailers should lower the saturated fat and added sugar in biscuits, cakes and confectionery.
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