IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/iefi07/6611.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Effects of Economic Policies Aimed at Encouraging a Healthier Grain Consumption

Author

Listed:
  • Nordstrom, Jonas
  • Thunstrom, Linda

Abstract

In this paper, we evaluate the effects of policy reforms aimed at achieving two policy objectives for grain consumption; (a) to double the intake of bread and breakfast cereals and (b) to ensure that half of the bread and breakfast cereals consumed are whole grain products. The overall aim of these policy objectives are to increase the dietary fibre intake from grain consumption so as to significantly contribute to the general recommended (minimum) increase of the fibre intake. Based on parameter estimates from a demand system we simulate the resulting changes in volumes purchased and fibre intake from two policy reforms entailing differentiated VAT on grain products. In the first reform we remove the VAT on "keyhole labelled" bread and breakfast cereals, in the second reform we consider a more extensive policy package of subsidizing the keyhole labelled bread and breakfast cereals by 20 percent while removing the VAT on all other grain products. Our results indicate that both reforms are likely to be successful in ensuring that the consumers attain the nutrition recommendations that half of the bread and breakfast cereals consumed are whole grain products, but that additional policy instruments are needed to reach the recommendation that the intake of bread and breakfast cereals should be doubled.

Suggested Citation

  • Nordstrom, Jonas & Thunstrom, Linda, 2007. "Effects of Economic Policies Aimed at Encouraging a Healthier Grain Consumption," 2007 1st Forum, February 15-17, 2007, Innsbruck, Austria 6611, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:iefi07:6611
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.6611
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/6611/files/sp08no01.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.6611?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fred Kuchler & Abebayehu Tegene & J. Michael Harris, 2005. "Taxing Snack Foods: Manipulating Diet Quality or Financing Information Programs?," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 27(1), pages 4-20.
    2. Ted O'Donoghue & Matthew Rabin, 2003. "Studying Optimal Paternalism, Illustrated by a Model of Sin Taxes," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(2), pages 186-191, May.
    3. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    4. Blundell, Richard & Pashardes, Panos & Weber, Guglielmo, 1993. "What Do We Learn About Consumer Demand Patterns from Micro Data?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(3), pages 570-597, June.
    5. Blundell, Richard W & Walker, Ian, 1982. "Modelling the Joint Determination of Household Labour Supplies and Commodity Demands," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 92(366), pages 351-364, June.
    6. Leung, Siu Fai & Yu, Shihti, 1996. "On the choice between sample selection and two-part models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1-2), pages 197-229.
    7. Chouinard, Hayley H & Davis, David E. & LaFrance, Jeffrey T. & Perloff, Jeffrey M, 2005. "The Effects of a Fat Tax on Dairy Products," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt60t1f3tn, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    8. Fred Kuchler & Abebayehu Tegene & J. Michael Harris, 2005. "Taxing Snack Foods: Manipulating Diet Quality or Financing Information Programs?," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 27(1), pages 4-20.
    9. Blundell, Richard & Meghir, Costas, 1987. "Bivariate alternatives to the Tobit model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 34(1-2), pages 179-200.
    10. Jacobson, M.F. & Brownell, K.D., 2000. "Small taxes on soft drinks and snack foods to promote health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 90(6), pages 854-857.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nordström, Jonas & Thunström, Linda, 2009. "The impact of tax reforms designed to encourage healthier grain consumption," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 622-634, May.
    2. Nordström, Jonas & Thunström, Linda, 2011. "Can targeted food taxes and subsidies improve the diet? Distributional effects among income groups," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 259-271, April.
    3. Jonas Nordström & Linda Thunström, 2011. "Economic policies for healthier food intake: the impact on different household categories," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 12(2), pages 127-140, April.
    4. Brannlund, Runar & Nordstrom, Jonas, 2004. "Carbon tax simulations using a household demand model," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 211-233, February.
    5. Brännlund, Runar & Nordström, Jonas, 2001. "Modelling Consumer Demand and Household Labour Supply: Welfare Effects of Increasing Carbon Taxes," Umeå Economic Studies 571, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    6. Chouinard, Hayley H & Davis, David E. & LaFrance, Jeffrey T. & Perloff, Jeffrey M, 2005. "The Effects of a Fat Tax on Dairy Products," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt60t1f3tn, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    7. Cash, Sean B. & Lacanilao, Ryan D., 2007. "Taxing Food to Improve Health: Economic Evidence and Arguments," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 36(2), pages 174-182, October.
    8. Beznoska, Martin, 2014. "Estimating a consumer demand system of energy, mobility and leisure: A microdata approach for Germany," Discussion Papers 2014/8, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    9. Qi Zhang & Zhuo Chen & Norou Diawara & Youfa Wang, 2011. "Prices of Unhealthy Foods, Food Stamp Program Participation, and Body Weight Status Among U.S. Low-Income Women," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 245-256, June.
    10. Goic, Marcel & Rojas, Andrea & Saavedra, Ignacio, 2021. "The Effectiveness of Triggered Email Marketing in Addressing Browse Abandonments," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 118-145.
    11. Stéphan Marette & Jutta Roosen & Sandrine Blanchemanche, 2008. "Taxes and subsidies to change eating habits when information is not enough: an application to fish consumption," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 119-143, October.
    12. Blundell, Richard & Macurdy, Thomas, 1999. "Labor supply: A review of alternative approaches," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 27, pages 1559-1695, Elsevier.
    13. Schroeter, Christiane & Lusk, Jayson & Tyner, Wallace, 2008. "Determining the impact of food price and income changes on body weight," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 45-68, January.
    14. Schroeter, Christiane & Lusk, Jayson L. & Tyner, Wallace E., 2005. "Determining the Impact of Food Price and Income Changes on Obesity," 2005 Annual meeting, July 24-27, Providence, RI 19234, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    15. James Binkley & Alla Golub, 2010. "Household Food Choice In Four Food Categories:Healthy Or Unhealthy?," Working Papers 10-2, Purdue University, College of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    16. Ehmke, Mariah D. & Willson, Tina M. & Schroeter, Christiane & Hart, Ann Marie & Coupal, Roger H., 2009. "Obesity Economics for the Western United States," Western Economics Forum, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 8(2), pages 1-13.
    17. Allais, Olivier & Bertail, Patrice & Nichele, Veronique, 2008. "The Effects of a "Fat Tax" on the Nutrient Intake of French Households," 2008 International Congress, August 26-29, 2008, Ghent, Belgium 43967, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    18. Jason M. Fletcher & David Frisvold & Nathan Tefft, 2010. "Can Soft Drink Taxes Reduce Population Weight?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 28(1), pages 23-35, January.
    19. Kee, Jennifer & Segovia, Michelle S. & Saboury, Piruz & Palma, Marco A., 2022. "Appealing to generosity to reduce food calorie intake: A natural field experiment," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    20. Dong, Diansheng & Stewart, Hayden, 2008. "Household Food Purchase Patterns: The Case of Vegetables," 2008 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2008, Orlando, Florida 6428, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:iefi07:6611. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ilbonde.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.