Docs want obesity subdued with 'fat tax'
August 15 2006 at 11:52AM
Sydney - Fruit and vegetables should be subsidised and high-calorie foods slapped with a "fat tax" to counter Australia's obesity epidemic, doctors said on Tuesday.
The recommendation came after shocking new statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed Australia is the only country in the world where obesity is growing at a faster rate among children than among adults.
Around a quarter of kids are either overweight or obese - double the 1985 rate.
Obesity experts Ian Caterson from Sydney University and Paul Zimmet from Melbourne's Monash University warned that those aged 20 to 35 were gaining weight the fastest.
"Our worry is that if our kids are getting fat quicker and people in their 20s to 30s are getting fat faster, when they're middle-aged, we're going to have a real problem," Caterson told Australia's AAP news agency.
They urged the government to follow the advice of United States-based WHO researcher Barry Popkin and institute a "calorie tax" to lift the price of unhealthy food.
They also advocated subsidies for fruit and vegetables.
"Over the last few years, the things we want people to eat have gone up in price more than processed food," Caterson said.
"So if we make them cheaper, we're rewarding people for eating the right things rather than punishing them for eating the wrong things." - Sapa-dpa
Obesity Subdued by Fat Tax
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