Europe’s food industry workers and manufacturers, represented by the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT), and FoodDrinkEurope respectively, have issued a joint statement opposing what they see as “discriminatory taxes” introduced by some EU member states to discourage the consumption of certain foods, in favour of “broader measures to encourage responsible eating habits and positive behavioural change among consumers in Europe.”
EFFAT and FoodDrinkEurope say these taxes damage the competitiveness of EU food industries and prompt unfair competition and cross-border shopping across EU regions. They say that “[F]ood and drinks produced in the EU have never been as safe, as healthy or of such high quality as they are today.” Voluntary measures are the way forward, they say.
To read the press release and download the position statement, see here.
Clearly many public health campaigners disagree. For more on health taxes see here.
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