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THL supports health-based taxation

The health watchdog has come out in favour of taxing products high in fat, sugar or salt.

A candy shelves in a grocery store.
File photo of candy aisle. About 60 percent of people in Finland said they would support an additional tax on foods with high sugar content, according to a survey sponsored by Terve Paino, an organisation advocating a healthy body weight. Image: Aalto Puutio / Yle
  • STT
  • Yle News

The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) says it favours raising taxes on unhealthy foods.

More specifically, the health authority wants to tax food based on its sugar, salt, and fat content.

The proposed tax change would follow on from soft drink reforms already in place. Sugary drinks, however, only account for around 20 percent of an average Finn's daily sugar consumption.

Mika Salminen, THL's director general, said a health-based tax is feasible as mandatory food packaging shows the exact composition of foods.

Earlier this month Finance Minister Riikka Purra (Finns) said she wants to see higher taxes on products that are harmful to health.

"Trans fats, salt and sugar are used excessively, [and they are] comparable to alcohol and tobacco," Purra declared, adding that "we can promote health with a new kind of tax policy."

The Body Mass Index (BMI) of approximately 1.2 million adults in Finland exceeds the obesity threshold, according to the THL's most recent Healthy Finland study.

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