Denmark to abolish tax on high-fat foods

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

The Danish government has said it intends to abolish a tax on foods which are high in saturated fats.

The measure, introduced a little over a year ago, was believed to be the world's first so-called "fat tax".

Foods containing more than 2.3% saturated fat - including dairy produce, meat and processed foods - were subject to the surcharge.

But authorities said the tax had inflated food prices and put Danish jobs at risk.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20280863

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Meanwhile :

Nutella maker says will brave French tax hike.

(Reuters) - The makers of the renowned Nutella food spread say they will not change the lucrative recipe even if France, its biggest market, endorses proposals to quadruple tax on a key ingredient of the gooey mix, palm oil.

Senators in France, where a left-wing government is hiking tax generally to help slash a bloated debt, have proposed a 300 percent tax hike on palm oil on the grounds that its production harms the environment and its consumption fuels obesity.

Frederic Thil, French director for Ferrero, the Italian firm that makes the sugary, chocolate-colored paste, sounded a defiant note in Le Parisien daily.

>

More than 100 million jars of Nutella were sold in France alone in 2008, according to Ferrero, whose website says the recipe sold in large quantities across the Western world was invented in the backroom of an Italian pastry shop in 1944.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/10/us-france-nutella-idUKBRE8A90D420121110

[unreadierLizard]

1. Good.

I'm all for getting people to eat healthy, but taxing junk food isn't going to help - if anything, it'll just jack food prices up higher.

That, and the government shouldn't be trying to control what people eat, but trying to educate people on other choices available.

[AndyTiedye]

4. Milk and Meat are Not Junk Food

[Zoeisright]

5. That's right. And saturated fat is not the villain.

http://www.policymic.com/articles/8673/saturated-fat-is-not-bad-for-your-brain-and-you-ve-been-lied-to/experts

[Ashened]

6. I disagree

Overconsumption of junk food has a cost that is already born by taxpayers in the form of people with medical complications due to such overconsumption.

The tax is easy to gripe about because people can see where their money is going. But it's better to have someone upset at a tax than diabetic and straining an underfunded healthcare system.

[Lars77]

2. "Left-wing government"? It's just a normal labour party. christ.

[Deep13]

3. Does the new tax break include Danishes?

[alp227]

7. The sweetened ones. nt

[JI7]

8. how fat are they compared to Americans ?

[4th law of robotics]

9. Generally speaking fat people aren't overweight because they're consuming too much fat

it's the carbs that are readily accessible and easy to eat in massive quantities that are killing us.

If you're hungry for a late night snack do you get whole milk or potato chips?