Healthy food subsidies and unhealthy food taxation: A systematic review of the evidence

Niebylski, Mark L.; Redburn, Kimbree A.; Duhaney, Tara; Campbell, Norm R.C.

doi:10.1016/j.nut.2014.12.010

Cited by 219 publications

(165 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Furthermore, a study by Michels and colleagues [24], investigating the effect of a 20% subsidy of healthy foods combined with education on food purchases in a college cafeteria, showed a greater increase (17% vs. 6%) in healthy food purchases after than during the intervention, suggesting that the nutrition education facilitated sustainability. Also the review by Niebylski and colleagues [10] highlighted that, alongside supportive pricing, education about healthy eating is a critical success factor to improve people’s food choices. The present qualitative results also showed that students care about their health and that health as such may be a driving factor towards healthy food choices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to this economic theory, price adjustments could encourage people to make more healthy food choices. A number of recent reviews showed that both price taxations and subsidies can modify the purchase and consumption of targeted foods in various settings and populations [8–10]. To be successful, food taxes and subsidies should be a minimum of 10 to 15% [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of recent reviews showed that both price taxations and subsidies can modify the purchase and consumption of targeted foods in various settings and populations [8–10]. To be successful, food taxes and subsidies should be a minimum of 10 to 15% [10]. Moreover, Epstein and colleagues [8] argued that, without the knowledge that a price manipulation is implemented, the price change may not influence behaviour.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of Pricing Strategies on French Fries and Fruit Purchases among University Students: Results from an On-Campus Restaurant Experiment

et al. 2016

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ObjectivesThis study examined the effect of a 10 and 20% meal price increase when choosing French fries and a 10 and 20% meal price reduction when choosing fruit for dessert on university students’ purchasing behaviour in an on-campus restaurant. The moderating effect of gender was also investigated. Secondly, this study aimed at gaining further insight into reasons why these price manipulations did or did not change students’ purchasing behaviour.Materials and MethodsThis two-phased mixed-methods study was conducted in a Belgian on-campus university restaurant with approximately 1200 to 1300 student visitors per day. In a first phase (French fries experiment), data were collected during a control week (no price manipulation) and two separate intervention weeks (10 and 20% meal price increase when students chose French fries). In a second phase (fruit experiment), following the same protocol but carried out a few weeks later, meal prices were reduced by 10 and 20% when students chose fruit for dessert. French fries and fruit sale counts relative to the total number of items sold were used as outcome measure. Short interviews were conducted in convenient subsamples of student customers to assess influences on food choice.Key findingsIncreasing the meal price by 10 and 20% when choosing French fries was associated with respective 10.9 and 21.8% absolute reductions in French fries purchases, while reducing the meal price by 10 and 20% when choosing fruit for dessert was associated with absolute increases in fruit purchases of respectively 25.1 and 42.4% (all p<0.001). No moderating effect of gender was detected. Besides price, food/taste preference, eating habits, health, availability and accessibility, and body satisfaction influenced students’ food choices, with taste being the most frequently mentioned factor.SignificancePricing may be a promising strategy to improve university students’ eating behaviour. The likelihood of intervention success may increase when combining pricing strategies with offering healthy, tasty and meal matching starchy alternatives to French fries and offering a variety of fresh and appealing fruits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of Pricing Strategies on French Fries and Fruit Purchases among University Students: Results from an On-Campus Restaurant Experiment

et al. 2016

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“…Cost-effectiveness reviews support using both taxes and subsidies of at least 20% and modeling studies indicate that taxes and subsidies of at least 10-15% could affect consumption; although the evidence from experimental studies is less conclusive and generalizable. 198 However, an earlier systematic review of 20 field studies of subsidies found subsidies for healthy foods (ranging from discounts equivalent to 10-50% of prices) generally increased healthy food purchases and consumption. 199 Another review of 24 experimental studies on price changes in various settings (laboratory, cafeteria/restaurant, vending machines, and food stores) found evidence that price changes affected the targeted foods in the expected direction, however noted these effects might be diluted by substitution of nontargeted foods, particularly over a longer time period than typically assessed in these studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Diet in Low-Income Neighborhoods: Leveraging the Food Environment for Change

Huang¹

2016

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“…DASH, Mediterranean or Nordic diets) are based on very similar principles that respect the environment and can be easily achieved at the population level (Katz & Meller 2014, Lacoppidan et al 2015, Sacks et al 1999. Particularly, considerable importance was attributed to the use of natural foods which should be prioritized over processed foods and industrially produced trans fats and simple sugars (Niebylski et al 2015, Leclercq et al 2009, Sette et al 2011. Despite that clear recommendations on proper eating behaviour have been consistently emitted by governments and health agencies, the major challenge remains to change the current unhealthy and unsustainable dietary patterns in the general population around the world.…”

Section: The Mediterranean Diet: the Scientific Evidence On Health Prmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mediterranean Diet and Health Promotion: evidence and current concerns

Ciancarelli

Massimo

Amicis

et al. 2017

MRAJ

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The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a dietary pattern described by Ancel B. Keys in the 1950s as a typical dietary habit of some populations bordering the Mediterranean sea in the south of Europe characterized by frugal living style. Findings of the Seven Country Study showed that people faced in the Mediterranean area had a reduced incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, cancer and age-related diseases. The mechanisms through which the MD exerts its health benefit and prevents the onset of several diseases are not completely clarified because of various and complex aspects. Several studies suggest that the claimed benefits of the MD dietary pattern is mainly linked to decreased inflammation and oxidative stress, strongly related to each other and involved in many chronic diseases. The high content of compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity present in most foods of the MD pattern has been considered effective for the improvement of many functions and parameters, therefore useful for the maintenance of the health status and the prevention of many chronic diseases. However, the extensive metabolism to which antioxidant compounds are subjected, once ingested with foods, reduces their antioxidant activity within the systemic circulation and tissues and their concentrations are very low in comparison with endogenous antioxidants. Foods produced for human nutrition have significant consequences for both the environment and the health of a specific population, and, in turn, the environment may address food choices and affect eating habit. The MD is a sustainable diet model that presents a very low environmental footprint, promotes the bio-diversity and protects human health and well-being. However, we must not ignore the planet changes and global environmental aspects that might convert the MD into a theoretical eating model far away from that described by Keys.

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Healthy food subsidies and unhealthy food taxation: A systematic review of the evidence

Cited by 219 publications

References 85 publications

Effectiveness of Pricing Strategies on French Fries and Fruit Purchases among University Students: Results from an On-Campus Restaurant Experiment

Effectiveness of Pricing Strategies on French Fries and Fruit Purchases among University Students: Results from an On-Campus Restaurant Experiment

Improving Diet in Low-Income Neighborhoods: Leveraging the Food Environment for Change

Mediterranean Diet and Health Promotion: evidence and current concerns

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