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Wednesday, 07 May 2008 23:13

AMA wants tax on junk foods

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The Australian Medical Association issued a big statement in May 2008. The AMA suggests that in order to combat obesity in the country additional taxes on unhealthy foods and subsidies on healthy foods are needed. What do you think?


The Australian Medical Association (AMA) issued a “Position Statement on Obesity” on May 4, 2008, which calls for applying taxes on such foods that it considers unhealthy, such as “junk food” and sugary soft drinks.

The statement by the AMA is part of a program to address obesity in Australia. A National Obesity Strategy, by the National Preventative Health Taskforce, has recently been initiated to make obesity a “National Health Priority Area.”

Other areas of interest for the Taskforce are the misuse of alcohol and use of tobacco.

According to the Statement, additional taxes on unhealthy foods, such as those with high sugar or fat content, would help to reduce the incidences of obesity in Australia, especially among its children.

The Statement says significantly higher taxes should apply to products known to significantly contribute to obesity, especially in children.

In addition, foods known to be healthy, such as fruit and vegetables, should be subsidized by government to ensure that their prices remain low (when compared to unhealthy foods) and remain  attractive to buy for all consumers.

AMA presient Rosanna Capolingue stated that such actions are necessary because obesity is a problem for Australia and every person in Australia needs to take responsible action to curb the increasing incidences of obesity.

She states that obesity causes Australia, as a whole, over A$20 billion each year.

In fact, according to the MedicalNewsToday.com article “Getting Obesity Under Control - Australian Medical Association Position Statement On Obesity”, the following facts are listed:

  • “In 2004/05, more than half of Australian adults were overweight or obese. (35% overweight, 18% obese) The proportion of obese adults doubled in the 15 years from 1989/90 to 2004/05.”
  • “There is a similar, particularly alarming, trend among children and adolescents. Almost a quarter of Australian children and adolescents are overweight, with approximately one in four of these being obese.”
  • “Obesity may run in families, with research showing children of obese parents are more than twice as likely to be obese themselves. “
  • “Obesity substantially contributes to preventable, non-communicable diseases, shortened life expectancy and impaired quality of life.”
  • “Obesity is a major risk factor for chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, musculoskeletal disorders and impaired psychosocial functioning.”
  • “Obesity is now challenging smoking as the major cause of preventable death in Australia. An estimated 9,500 deaths occur annually in Australia as a result of diseases and conditions attributable to excess weight.”
  • “In 2005, the costs to Australian health care of diseases resulting from excess weight were estimated to be $1.2 billion. Factoring in lost productivity, obesity cost Australian society and governments $21 billion in 2005.”

Please read the next page for additional information on the proposals brought forth by the AMA, especially with regards to advertising and children.




The AMA also wants a ban on junk food advertising that is targeted toward children and a national nutritional labeling system, which would be applied to the front of all such products.

The AMA position is based in part on this statement, “There is evidence that obesity and excess weight in childhood and adolescence is a strong predictor of obesity or health problems in adulthood.”

By increasing prices on unhealthy foods and decreasing prices on healthy foods, the overall cost of food would remain the same on a year-to-year basis. Capolingue states, "Australians should not have to pay more at checkout to live healthier lives." [The Australian: “Tax junk, subsidise fruit: AMA”]

Within the Position Statement on Obesity by the AMA is the statement, "There is abundant evidence that prices influence people's consumption choices and levels, including prices set through taxes and subsidies.”

In addition, in its “Position Statement on Obesity” the AMA makes the following nutritional statements:

  • "The AMA reaffirms its position that all Australian mothers should be encouraged and supported to solely breastfeed their babies for the first six months of life (unless there are medical contraindications)."
  • "Whole of school curriculum programs around nutrition, with the provision of only healthy food choices in the school context, should be promoted so that children have a greater capacity for nutritional literacy, and for making healthy choices later in life."
  • "The marketing and promotion of energy-dense/nutrient poor food to children should be prohibited."
  • "A simple and uniform ‘front of pack’ system of nutritional labelling for packaged food should be mandated, and supported by an ongoing public education campaign. Clear information about nutrient content should also be provided."
  • Significantly higher taxes (and therefore higher prices) should apply to products known to significantly contribute to obesity, especially in children (for example, sugary soft drinks).
  •  "Foods known to be healthy, such as fruit and vegetables, should be subsidised by government to ensure their prices become and remain very low, particularly in remote areas."
  • "Governments should strongly encourage the food industry and retail food outlets to adopt measures to reduce the production, sale and consumption of energy dense and nutrient poor products."
  • "Urban planning regulations should ensure that new housing developments make provision for local access to retail outlets for fruit and vegetables (eg. local grocery stores or supermarkets)."

Capolingue also stated, "The AMA challenges the Federal Government to set firm goals and targets in preventing and reducing obesity, especially in our children. We know that the commitment is there, now we need to see the Government getting involved - to see implementation of initiatives that will have impact.” [MedicalNewsToday.com: "Getting Obesity Under Control - Australian Medical Association Position Statement On Obesity”]

This policy would make good sense for all countries having obesity problems such as the United States.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than one billion overweight adults (in a world with 6.6 billion people). Of those overweight adults, at least 300 million are obese.

To find out more if your country has an obesity problem, please go to the WHO website: “What is the scale of the obesity problem in your country?”.

In the United States, in 2005, according to the WHO obesity chart, over 35% of adult men (fifteen years and older) and over 40% of adult women are obese. (A body to mass index of over 30 is considered obese.)

As another comparison, about 21% of men and about 24% of women in the United Kingdom are obese.

For Australia, the WHO obesity chart places about 23% of men and about 25% of women at the obese level.

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