Denmark says goodbye to the fat tax and hello to good health (even though they don’t know it yet)

I told you it was torsket.

“Torsket” is the Danish word for “stupid.” And that word was a perfect fit one year ago when Denmark adopted a dietary tax.

They called it a “fat tax.” And it’s been an economic disaster. But Danish authorities proved you CAN fix stupid. They’ve announced they’ll lift the tax.

But don’t lament, Denmark. Say goodbye to torsket. Say hello to better health.

Government fail, public win

When politicians and lawmakers start dreaming up ways to improve public health, run for cover. It’s never pretty.

Mayor Bloomberg is finding that out in New York. His ban on extra large soda cups caused anger, at first. Then, late night comics turned it into a national joke. Soda still flows, and obesity rates won’t drop.

Meanwhile, Danish officials are wringing their hands over their tax that failed. One government bureaucrat told the press, “Now we have to try improving the public health by other means.”

Oh brother! So torsket.

The Denmark plan levied a significant tax on any product that contained saturated fat.

Now, you know that made perfect sense to anyone who believes anti-meat propaganda. To them, saturated fats are poison. And that’s fine when they’re doing their own personal grocery shopping. But to try to bend an entire nation to make that same choice is way out of bounds.

So what did Danes do? Many just bought groceries in Germany or Sweden. Others purchased lower-cost alternatives. Saturated fat intake continued. Danish food producers suffered. The economy took a hit. So Danish politicians ran for cover and lifted the tax.

Now THAT was a healthy choice!

To begin with, all those dangers of saturated fat are wildly exaggerated.

Sure — if you eat fast food burgers and French fries every day, you’re in trouble. But the trans fats and carbs will take their toll long before saturated fat will.

Last year I told you about a 20-year study that included more than 345,000 adults. Results showed NO LINK between saturated fat intake and a higher risk of heart disease, cardiovascular disease, or stroke.

But there’s also a healthy side to saturated fats that many nutritionists (and governments) overlook.

As I’ve been saying for years, good quality saturated fat plays a key role in a balanced diet. That’s because several important vitamins are fat-soluble. They work more effectively in your body with the help of saturated fats. And these vitamins are indispensable in fighting off chronic diseases: D, E, K, and A.

So it’s good news for Danish lawmakers. They don’t have to dream up other means to improve public health. They’ve already served their citizens well by striking down that foolish tax.

Sources:
“Denmark Scraps Much-Maligned ‘Fat Tax’ After a Year” Clemens Bomsdorf, The Wall St. Journal, 11/11/12, online.wsj.com