Oral Presentation Australian & New Zealand Obesity Society 2016 Annual Scientific Meeting

Invited talk: Enabling healthy food and beverage choices: is the price right? (#44)

Kathryn Backholer 1
  1. Monash University, VIC, Australia

An unhealthy diet is considered the leading cause of poor health in Australia and globally, including excess weight gain and obesity. The price of foods and beverages have been shown to influence what people consume. Healthier foods and beverages are often more expensive than less healthy options, creating an economic barrier to healthier choices. This is especially true for individuals with lower incomes. Food and beverage pricing strategies can create incentives for purchasing and consuming healthier items. Among various options, taxing unhealthy foods and/or beverages or subsidising fruits and vegetables are two commonly proposed policies to promote healthy diets. Whilst, several countries have been successful in enacting such policies, political obstacles have limited the uptake and implementation of such. This presentation will explore the potential role of food and beverage pricing strategies in a range of contexts and for different population sub-groups. It will draw on current and new methodological techniques for examining the effect of food and beverage pricing strategies on consumer dietary choices and will outline real-world future strategies that alter the relative price of healthy and unhealthy foods to promote healthy choices.