Nutrition researcher can’t see a meat tax getting very far with Kiwis, but a processed-meat tax might be more palatable. Photo / Getty Images
Nutrition researcher can’t see a meat tax getting very far with Kiwis, but a processed-meat tax might be more palatable. Photo / Getty Images
We’ve all heard of sugar taxes, but what about a sausage tax?
One aspect of Andrew Reynolds’ research was to look at policies that might nudge people to cut their red meat intake. He found that the Danes had introduced a saturated fat tax a few years back – makingfattier mince, for example, more expensive. Though the tax was repealed after one year, research found it had resulted in some reductions in saturated fat intake in Denmark.
Reynolds can’t see a meat tax getting very far with Kiwis, but a processed-meat tax might be more palatable. Because much of our processed meat, such as ham and salami, is imported, it would have less impact on local farmers. It might also encourage producers to reduce the salt and nitrates in processed meats.
“Remember how we changed the salt in bread?” he says. “Over time, the Heart Foundation led this gradual restriction on salt … No one actually tasted a difference, but it removed a crazy amount of salt from our food supply and it was good for people’s blood pressure.”
A more realistic start, he thinks, would be educational messages about the dangers of eating processed meat.
He reels off other things policymakers could do: “They could enact restrictions in public spaces – things like hospital vending machines or meals in hospitals; workplace initiatives; school food and canteens – these all sort of make sense.
“They could train health professionals to deliver healthy-eating advice.” He smiles wryly. “That would be quite novel.”
