Even a 14-Cent Food Tax Could Lead to Healthier Choices
— September 29, 2016
By Vishal Singh, Romana Khan and Kanishka Misra
Given these serious personal and economic consequences, what can be done from a policy perspective? Currently, the primary policy tool being used is what’s known as an information provision — think education programs and nutrition labels on products and restaurant menus, including the recent FDA decision to require information about added sugar on nutrition labels.
While information is important, there is scant evidence that providing consumers with it is effective in influencing people toward healthier choices. For example, studies on New York City’s menu-labeling mandate find that, even after five years, there is no evidence that people’s choices responded to the provision of calorie information on menus.
Read the full article as published in Harvard Business Review.
Vishal Singh is an Associate Professor of Marketing.