Professor questions whether Gov’t will make healthy food more affordable
By Sheria Brathwaite
As Government continues its thrust to encourage healthier eating habits and reduce the high rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Barbadians, a university professor is concerned that there is not enough public discussion on making healthy food cheap.
In fact, Professor Justin Robinson told Barbados TODAY that Barbadians wanted to know if Government was going to introduce any policies to make healthy food affordable in the same manner it appeared to be making unhealthy foods and drinks more expensive.
Robinson’s comments come five days after health officials announced that the development of a salt tax, which Prime Minister Mia Mottley first talked about in the Budget in March, was at an advanced stage.
“There is an ongoing debate – do you make it expensive to be unhealthy versus making it cheap to be healthy; expensive to be unhealthy [regarding] the sweet drink tax, the proposed salt tax and some aspects of the national nutrition policy. There is a fair bit of evidence that shows taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks do reduce their consumption. There is less evidence on taxes on salt cause I guess very few countries have tried it . . . .
“But on the flip side, some in Barbados are asking what are the policies to make it cheaper to be healthy. And one could argue that that may be a missing element in our policy mix in Barbados – that the policy initiatives to date have focused on making it expensive to be unhealthy and there hasn’t been sufficient focus on making it cheap to be healthy,” he said during an interview on Monday.
Robinson, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Board of Undergraduate Studies at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus, pointed out that Government’s health thrust was nothing new.
He said that former Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler implemented a ten per cent excise tax on sweetened beverages in August 2015.
Additionally, under the Owen Arthur administration, there were tax benefits associated with gym membership, and when Donville Inniss was Minister of Health under a previous Democratic Labour Party government, there was an income tax rebate for the cost of an annual health check-up.
Asked if something similar could be implemented, Robinson said: “It comes down to the heart of the issue. Which is going to be more effective – making it more expensive for people to engage in unhealthy behaviours or providing incentives or making it cheaper to engage in healthy activity?
“If a policy goal is that important and critical to the future of the country then it behoves the policymakers to craft and find the policy space to come up with the most effective policy mix. When you have major policy initiatives there are winners and losers.”
He explained that while the economic activity that is generated from unhealthy foods and drinks may be reduced as they become more expensive, it could be argued that “the improved health outcomes and the impact on productivity and reduction in healthcare costs outweigh those costs”.
The Professor of Economics and Finance also said that Government’s health thrust was connected to improving the performance of the economy.
“Labour or human capital is a major factor of production and has a major influence on the performance of an economy. The higher the quality of your human capital, the more productive your economy can be. So human health is a crucial element in terms of the quality of your human capital. It is just not the training and education.
“If persons are unwell or challenged with health problems then their productivity is impacted, it has a negative impact,” Robinson said.
“Also in a place like Barbados where there is state-funded healthcare, a sizeable chunk of your population living with NCDs is costly. Improving the health and wellness of the population augurs well in terms of positive economic outcomes, both in terms of productivity and the reduction in the direct cost of healthcare and that burden on the economy,” he added.
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