JUNK FOOD TAX: THE NEED OF THE HOUR

With the release of the 2024 Indian Union budget a few days back, we all have seen a clear representation of how taxing norms affect the general public mentally and financially. Thus, making it the perfect time to discuss if we should introduce novel tax rules for bringing about a positive behavior change in society. And one such regulation that can bring a wave of reform is introducing tax on junk food. According to researchers, unhealthy eating habits is the second most common cause for morbidity and mortality in our society, after tobacco use. So, in order to reduce this unhealthy consumption, taxes can be used as a powerful method.

According to a WHO report given in March 2024, there has been a massive increase in the obesity burden in the world. In 1990, there were only 25% of adults above 18 years of age in the obese and overweight category but as per reports this percentage has become 43% in 2022. Also, over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 years were overweight in 2022. Junk food not only causes obesity but it also poses other health risks. The high fat content causes increased risk of cardiovascular disease, high salt content increases risk of hypertension, excess sugar content increases risk of diabetes mellitus and chemical additives lead to defects in growth and development. Also not to forget a lot of GI tract cancers are introduced as a result of improper dietary practices. Keeping this in mind the shift of unhealthy diets into healthy diets becomes important.

As a member of the recent generation of, ‘I will rather order than cook’, I spent an excessive amount of time on my phone scrolling through menus and comparing prices, quality, delivery time and very rarely nutrition. And something that always takes me by surprise is the fact that my bowl of salad (which I order once in a blue moon) is always double or triple the price of the burger I so often order. So, at the end of the day, I am not choosing junk food more often for its taste but because of the fact that I can afford it more conveniently than the healthy food that I should eat. This makes me think about what would happen if restaurants would rather increase the rates of my regular junk food order and use that same amount to make my rare healthy orders cheap. This change in the pricing will immediately bring about a massive change in food choosing behavior. The young population is well aware of the effects of junk food and also of the substitutes they require, the only major problem they face is accessibility. So, making healthy food economically accessible can change the picture of lifestyle choices dramatically.

A major step in this direction was taken by the international government, when they introduced significant taxation on sugary drinks. These drinks have been targeted by many nations because they contain only sugar and have a major role in causing diabetes independent of adiposity. The introduction of these taxes has been difficult because of popularity and political impact, but have had a positive impact on the health of society.

Something called FAT TAX has been introduced in the Indian state Kerala, this was applied to food that could not be used for large scale consumption. The law was particularly introduced to reduce junk food consumption in the state. The idea was introduced based on the reports that even a 1% per ounce tax on beverages may reduce consumption by 25 per cent. The state introduced a 14.5 percent tax on food items like pizza and burgers. This tax is going to be liable on junk food items sold by multinational companies also. This tax can be later used effectively for improvement of health facilities of the state. Other states like Gujarat have also shown interest in implementing a similar tax structure, giving us hope for a nationwide change towards healthy food habits.

Finally, we can summarize that the introduction of a tax on junk food is a very innovative idea to curb the evils of obesity and overweight. But the problem that needs to be tackled is how to make society accept this change. It is definitely going to receive some amount of opposition. So, we can have nationwide surveys to assess the mentality of people regarding food habits and then slowly bring changes according to it, while also creating awareness on the topic. This can help in building a strong and healthy nation, which actually chooses healthy options.