DDG criticizes the DAK's Forsa survey as misleading
17.05.2015 17:59
In the wake of the Federal Government's Prevention Act to prevent common diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart attacks, a debate has broken out in politics about imposing a sugar/fat tax on high-calorie foods. A current Forsa survey by the German Employee Health Insurance Fund (DAK) supposedly shows that two thirds of Germans reject such a tax. The German Diabetes Society (DDG) criticizes the survey as misleading and dubious. In view of the increasing number of illnesses and exploding costs in the healthcare system, the specialist society continues to believe that such a tax is necessary along with tax relief for healthy foods.
Noncommunicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases cause around 80 percent of all deaths worldwide. The economic damage is also enormous: the direct costs of diabetes in Germany alone are estimated at over 22 billion euros. Many politicians and health care representatives are therefore calling for a tax on high-calorie foods because obesity greatly increases the risk of chronic diseases. Now a Forsa survey commissioned by the DAK found that only 30 percent of the population consider such taxation to be suitable for protecting people from illness. “We consider this survey to be misleading and not meaningful,” states associate professor Dr. med. Erhard Siegel, President of the DDG.
According to the results of the survey, the important second part of a sugar/fat tax was kept secret from those surveyed, namely a corresponding tax relief in favor of healthy and lower-calorie foods.
“Obviously the other – quite attractive – side of the coin was ignored in the Forsa survey. “We therefore have to assume that the respondents have been misled, a clever manipulation,” criticizes Dr. Dietrich Garlichs, Managing Director of the DDG. Certainly more people would agree to a sugar/fat tax if they were offered financial relief in return.
“A price signal could help the population make healthier purchasing decisions and provide incentives for the food industry to develop healthier products. “Previous appeals to individual reason have demonstrably failed in the face of the tsunami of chronic illnesses,” explained Garlichs.
What is remarkable about the survey is that the vast majority of respondents (85 percent) see traffic light labeling on food packaging as an appropriate measure against overweight and obesity, as does a ban on advertising children's food (65 percent). It is also surprising that 49 percent are of the opinion that it is one of the tasks of politics to take care of the eating habits of citizens. Approval is particularly high among younger and better educated people. Only 43 percent think that politics should stay out of the area.