What is known about the effectiveness of economic instruments to reduce consumption of foods high in saturated fat and other energy-dense foods for preventing and treating obesity?
July 2006
World Health Organization
Lewin contact: Clifford Goodman
This paper, prepared for the Health Evidence Network of the World Health Organization, synthesizes the evidence pertaining to what is known about the effectiveness of economic instruments to reduce consumption of foods high in saturated fats and other energy-dense foods for preventing and treating obesity. The review found no direct scientific evidence of a causal relationship between policy-related economic instruments and food consumption, including foods high in saturated fats. Indirect evidence suggests that such a causal relationship is plausible, though it remains to be demonstrated by rigorous studies in community settings. Modeling analyses suggest that a combination of increased prices (in the form of taxes) for such nutrients as fat, saturated fat and sugar and subsidies on fibres could reduce consumption of the taxed nutrients, as well as total energy intake. Studies of tax and price policies applied to tobacco and alcohol products may serve as models for lowering consumption of energy-dense foods, but critical differences among these types of interventions may limit their generalizability to food consumption. The paper also addressed considerations for future policy and research.