Junk Food And Alcohol Advertising Levy Could Be Used To Better Inform Consumers About Their Choices, Australia

Imposing a levy on junk food and alcohol advertising can assist in addressing the gaps in consumer
information about the health consequences of their consumption choices, and increases the incentive
for food and alcohol industries to promote healthier products, according to an article published in the
Medical Journal of Australia.


Mr Todd Harper, CEO of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), and co-author,
Prof Gavin Mooney, write that consumers are not able to make fully informed choices about
purchasing junk food or alcoholic beverages because the advertising of these products generally
carries little, if any, information on the health consequences of their consumption.
They proposed a model that would see a pool of funds created from a levy imposed on advertising
expenditure for junk food and alcoholic beverages. These funds could be used to provide consumers
with more complete and balanced information on the healthy and harmful impacts of food and
alcohol choices.


"The funding could also be used to provide alternatives to junk food and alcohol sponsorships, and to
inform consumers about healthier food and beverage products," Mr Harper said.
He said the scale of the levy on advertising would be determined by the alcohol content of the
beverage or the nutrient profile of the food.


"Grading the levy on advertising, such that the greater the adverse health effects and risks associated
with the products the higher the levy, would not only assist in addressing consumer information
deficits, it would be directly health-promoting," Mr Harper said.
"It would discourage the advertising of junk food and alcohol, and encourage the promotion of
healthier alternatives, priorities identified by the National Preventative Health Taskforce."


Mr Harper said the proposal addressed the imbalance between the promotion of unhealthy and
healthier products, and securing funds to empower consumers to make more informed choices about
consumer products and health.


"The proposal's underlying premise is that those who profit from selling relatively unhealthy
products need to be encouraged to change their ways, and that harnessing the advertising clout of the
food and alcohol industries to develop and promote healthier products and lifestyles would give
significant impetus to moves to improve the health of society," Mr Harper said.


Source
The Medical Journal of Australia