Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38935140›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of nutrition2024

Modelling impacts of a salt and sugar tax on hypothetical intra-category food substitutions, BMI and environmental footprints in the UK population.

Patricia Eustachio Colombo, Rosemary Green, Sarah Nájera Espinosa, Giulia Scarpa, Ria Saha, Pauline Scheelbeek

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of nutrition, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Patricia Eustachio ColomboCentre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK. patricia.eustachio-colombo@lshtm.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8505-116X
Rosemary GreenCentre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5850-6715
Sarah Nájera EspinosaCentre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2938-6483
Giulia ScarpaCentre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4810-4293
Ria SahaThe Food Foundation, London, SW9 7QD, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0286-1985
Pauline ScheelbeekCentre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6209-2284

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTaxes on unhealthy foods can help improve population health in the United Kingdom (UK), but the health effects of food substitutions resulting from these taxes are often unclear. We investigated the potential impacts of a salt and sugar tax on hypothetical intra-category food substitutions, cost, body-mass index (BMI), and environmental footprints.

methodsPurchase panel data from Kantar (2017) were used to determine the most popular foods high in salt or sugar within eight 'salt-intensive'/'sugar-intensive' food categories. Within food categories, the most popular lower salt (≤ 1.5 g salt/100 g product) and lower sugar (≤ 22.5 g sugar/100 g product) substitutes were also identified. Hypothetical swaps between high salt/sugar foods and lower salt/sugar substitutes were explored, focusing on changes to cost, caloric intake and BMI, and environmental impacts in the UK population.

resultsThe suggested intra-category substitutions were largely like-for-like and did not accrue an added overall cost to consumers. The substitutions reduced calorie intake by about 200 kcal/day and lowered the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the UK from approximately 60-65% to about 40-45%. The proposed food substitutions led to a total reduction of -2.7Mt of greenhouse gases, ∼ -500.000 ha of land, -0.5km

conclusionFood substitutions following a tax on salt and sugar could lead to significant benefits for health and the environment, without necessarily resulting in major changes to people's expenditure on familiar salty and sugary snacks.

Indexed as

Body Mass IndexSodium Chloride, DietaryTaxesDietary SugarsEnergy IntakeEnvironmentHumansObesityUnited KingdomDietary SugarsSodium Chloride, DietaryEnvironmental sustainabilityFiscal measuresFood expendituresHealth promotionObesity reduction

Identifiers

PMID38935140
PMCPMC11490524

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.