Colombia has embarked on an innovative path by becoming one of the world’s initial nations to explicitly tax ultra-processed foods, marking a significant victory for campaigners and health experts. The recently enforced “junk food law” introduces a gradual levy, commencing with an immediate 10% tax on affected foods, escalating to 15% next year, and culminating at 20% in 2025.
Campaigners and health professionals globally view Colombia’s approach as groundbreaking, extending health taxes beyond traditional targets like tobacco or sugary drinks. Professor Franco Sassi, an expert in international health policy and economics at London’s Imperial College Business School, commended Colombia’s model as expansive and potentially influential for other nations.
The tax primarily targets ultra-processed products, encompassing industrially manufactured ready-to-eat foods high in salt and saturated fat, such as chocolates and crisps. While compromises were made, excluding certain processed foods like sausages from the tax, the legislation aims to address the pervasive issue of non-communicable diseases linked to diet and obesity.
Colombia’s dietary habits, marked by excessive sodium consumption, contribute to cardiovascular diseases, responsible for almost a quarter of annual deaths. With an average daily salt intake of 12g per person, the highest in Latin America, nearly a third of adults in the country suffer from high blood pressure.
In addition to cardiovascular concerns, non-communicable diseases like diabetes pose significant health challenges, accounting for over a third of deaths among those under 70. The broader context reveals that non-communicable diseases contribute to approximately 76% of all deaths in Colombia.
Beatriz Champagne, Executive Director of the Coalition for Americas’ Health, emphasized the importance of averting the trajectory witnessed in wealthier industrialized nations, where diet-related diseases have become pervasive. The legislation aligns with front-of-packaging labels, introducing mandatory health warnings on foods with unhealthy ingredients, creating both informational and financial incentives for consumers to avoid such products.
While the law faced robust opposition from the food and beverage industries, campaigners persevered through years of challenges. Esperanza Cerón Villaquirán from Educar Consumidores likened the struggle to a “difficult birth,” acknowledging the relentless efforts to navigate attacks and censorship.
Critics expressing concerns about exacerbating inflation in Colombia were countered by suggestions to explore existing tax frameworks, such as reducing VAT on healthier foods to subsidize increased tax on less healthy options. The broader objective, as emphasized by Champagne, is to prioritize nutrition over profit, promoting healthier choices and combatting diet-related health challenges.
