mayes-fiscalpolicyto-2018.pdf (352.68 kB)
Fiscal policy to improve diets and prevent noncommunicable diseases: from recommendations to action
journal contribution
posted on 2018-03-01, 00:00 authored by A M Thow, S M Downs, Christopher MayesChristopher Mayes, H Trevena, T Waqanivalu, J CawleyThe World Health Organization has recommended that Member States consider taxing energy-dense beverages and foods and/or subsidizing nutrient-rich foods to improve diets and prevent noncommunicable diseases. Numerous countries have either implemented taxes on energy-dense beverages and foods or are considering the implementation of such taxes. However, several major challenges to the implementation of fiscal policies to improve diets and prevent noncommunicable diseases remain. Some of these challenges relate to the cross-sectoral nature of the relevant interventions. For example, as health and economic policy-makers have different administrative concerns, performance indicators and priorities, they often consider different forms of evidence in their decision-making. In this paper, we describe the evidence base for diet-related interventions based on fiscal policies and consider the key questions that need to be asked by both health and economic policy-makers. From the health sector's perspective, there is most evidence for the impact of taxes and subsidies on diets, with less evidence on their impacts on body weight or health. We highlight the importance of scope, the role of industry, the use of revenue and regressive taxes in informing policy decisions.
History
Journal
Bulletin of the World Health OrganizationVolume
96Issue
3Pagination
201 - 210Publisher
World Health Organization (WHO)Location
Geneva, SwitzerlandPublisher DOI
Link to full text
ISSN
0042-9686eISSN
1564-0604Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2018, World Health OrganizationUsage metrics
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