2024-10-16 15:22:00
Taxing sugary products more to make it easier for the poor to purchase fruit and vegetables: this is one of the ways proposed by the Institut Montaigne to stem the crisis “food gap” in a report published Wednesday, Oct. 16.
To fund its flagship proposal, a “fruit and vegetable control” of 30 euros a month for four million French people, the think tank recommends a tax aimed at producers who do not reduce the sugar content in their recipes and suggests harmonizing VAT at 20% on a series of sweet products such as sweets, sweets and chocolates.
The report, based on one hundred hearings with agri-food producers and distributors, researchers, elected officials, consumers and associations, outlines six recommendations to combat food insecurity and limit the increase in food imbalances.
“The generalization of a diet that is too rich, processed and of inferior nutritional quality is creating a public health crisis”alarmed Marie-Pierre de Bailliencourt, director general of the Montaigne Institute, during a press conference.
Deposit “treat the emergency”Marie-Pierre de Bailliencourt admits the “radicality” of some proposals, arguing that the “The tax stick is still an indicator that works” Do “change behavior”.
1.76 billion euros generated per year
“It’s still surprising for a boss like me to talk about nutritional taxation, but we take it for granted”added Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Coopérative U (formerly Système U). He presented the part of the report that encourages manufacturers and distributors to formally negotiate a reduction in the level of sugar in recipes.
“Those who do not respect the collective agreement that has been defined could be taxed”explained Dominique Schelcher, comparing this proposal with the collective agreement on the salt content in bread, signed in 2022.
Overall, according to the speakers’ estimates, the fiscal interventions proposed by the Montaigne Institute to act on the level of sugar on supermarket shelves could generate 1.76 billion euros per year in tax revenue.
Product categories targeted include confectionery, sweet biscuits and chocolates, breakfast cereals, spreads, pastries and industrial pastries.
Other recommendations in the report include VAT exemption on food purchases for food aid associations, the development of social canteens and the generalization of fruit snacks in schools.
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