Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Curr Pharm Des. 2011;17(12):1218-22. doi: 10.2174/138161211795656783.
The contemporary American food environment makes energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and beverages the "default" option for most consumers. Economic interventions like taxes can shift the relative prices of unhealthy foods to nudge consumers towards healthier options. Beverages with added sugar are a good starting point for food taxation; they constitute over 10 percent of caloric intake nationwide and provide little or no nutritional value. Current levels of taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are too low to affect consumer behavior, but the implementation of a penny-per-ounce excise tax could lead to substantial public health benefits. Current estimates predict that a tax that raised the cost of SSBs by 20 percent could lead to an average reduction of 3.8 pounds per year for adults, causing the prevalence of obesity to decline from 33 to 30 percent. SSB taxes would also generate considerable revenue for public health and obesity prevention programs. Although the beverage industry is fighting such taxes with massive lobbying and public relations campaigns, support for the policies is increasing, especially when revenue is earmarked for obesity prevention.
当代美国的食物环境使得高能量、低营养的食物和饮料成为大多数消费者的“默认”选择。税收等经济干预措施可以改变不健康食品的相对价格，促使消费者选择更健康的食品。添加糖的饮料是对食品征税的一个很好的起点；它们占全国热量摄入的 10%以上，几乎没有营养价值。目前对含糖饮料（SSB）的征税水平太低，不会影响消费者的行为，但实施每盎司 1 美分的消费税可能会带来实质性的公共卫生效益。目前的估计预测，对 SSB 征收 20%的税款，可能导致成年人每年的体重平均减少 3.8 磅，使肥胖患病率从 33%下降到 30%。SSB 税还将为公共卫生和肥胖预防计划带来可观的收入。尽管饮料行业正在通过大规模的游说和公共关系活动来抵制此类税收，但对这些政策的支持正在增加，尤其是当收入专门用于预防肥胖时。
