Research published earlier this year has shown the importance of encouraging consumers to shift towards plant-based diets.
Currently, most diets are imbalanced, which is detrimental to both our health and the climate. A paper published in Nature Food journal found that VAT reductions on fruit and vegetables, combined with increased VAT on meat and dairy was associated with 170,000 fewer deaths each year across Europe. The report examined how VAT affects demand for a food products, alongside how this reduced demand was associated with fewer incidences of diet-related diseases.
Read the full report here
Currently in the UK, there is fortunately no VAT on fruits and vegetables. However, not all meat and dairy products are subject to VAT. Therefore, there should be VAT on all ‘unsustainable’ food products including meat and dairy- whose revenue could be used to subsidise sustainable foods lacking from the UK diet, like fruits and vegetables. This intervention would promote the general health of the UK population without contributing to food insecurity in the UK.