Public support for food subsidy and tax scenarios to promote healthy and sustainable diets: Evidence from deliberative forums in two UK locations
2023年10月在英国两个高贫困率地区举办审议论坛，让公众对16种食品补贴或税收情景进行排序，发现参与者普遍支持对高碳食品征收全民税，偏好补贴多于税收，且倾向全民政策而非针对低收入群体。
Governments can utilise fiscal measures, through subsidies and taxes, to promote healthy and environmentally sustainable food choices. Despite their potential, implementing subsidies and taxes is often contested because of the cost, anticipated efficacy, ideological basis of these policies, and the wide range of ways they might be implemented. Deliberative methods are useful for converging debate to understand whether and how policy decisions on contentious issues are supported by the public. In October 2023, we held two deliberative forums with members of the public in UK locations experiencing high rates of deprivation: one in Govanhill, Glasgow (n = 13) and one in Bridlington (n = 11). We developed 16 food subsidy or tax scenarios from a systematic scoping review of the literature. We presented scientific evidence on related issues and facilitated deliberations, culminating in each forum ranking their preferred subsidy or tax scenarios. Though each forum’s preferences differed, overall participants favoured the implementation of a population-wide tax on high carbon foods, preferred more subsidy than tax scenarios, and preferred population-wide policies to policies that targeted people experiencing low income. Our findings demonstrate the public’s interest in government fiscal action to create a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food system.