Acceptability patterns of hypothetic taxes on different types of foods in France.

OBJECTIVE

To identify patterns of food taxes acceptability among French adults and to investigate population characteristics associated with them.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional data from the NutriNet-Santé e-cohort. Participants completed an web-based questionnaire to test patterns of hypothetical food taxes acceptability (i.e. overall perception combined with reasons for supporting or not) on eight food types: fatty foods, salty foods, sugary foods, fatty and salty foods, fatty and sugary products, meat products, foods/beverages with unfavourable front-of-pack nutrition label and 'ultra-processed foods'. Sociodemographic and anthropometric characteristics and dietary intakes (24-h records) were self-reported. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of food taxes acceptability.

SETTING

NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults ( 27 900) engaged in the French NutriNet-Santé e-cohort.

RESULTS

The percentage of participants in favour of taxes ranged from 11·5 % for fatty products to 78·0 % for ultra-processed foods. Identified patterns were (1) 'Support all food taxes' (16·9 %), (2) 'Support all but meat and fatty products taxes' (28·9 %), (3) 'Against all but UPF, Nutri-Score and salty products taxes' (26·5 %), (4) 'Against all food taxes' (8·6 %) and (5) 'No opinion' (19·1 %). Pattern 4 had higher proportions of participants with low socio-economic status, BMI above 30 kg/m and who had consumption of foods targeted by the tax above the median.

CONCLUSIONS

Results provide strategic information for policymakers responsible for designing food taxes and may help identify determinants of support for or opposition to food taxes in relation to individual or social characteristics or products taxed.