Denmark Imposes World’s First Fatty Food Tax

The bacon doughnut cheeseburger will be very, very expensive in Copenhagen.

This weekend, thousands of people across Denmark are rushing to the supermarkets to fill their carts with butter, milk, oil, and meat. But rest assured, there isn’t a severe weather or imminent apocalyptic concern this time around. Instead, this weekend, Denmark’s government has imposed the world’s first ever fat tax, mandating an additional charge of 16 kroner ($2.87) per kilo of saturated fat in all food products. The goal is to curb the country’s obesity rate, which is currently below 10% of the population. Analysts worry the policy may be anti-competitive, while ordinary people worry their access to sweet, sweet foods may be compromised.

Image courtesy of Reuters.