Fat tax to cut Kiwi flab

Half of all New Zealand adults are overweight

By Greg Ward in Auckland

Overweight New Zealanders who insist on eating fatty food might soon find their wallets are losing weight.

Some of the country's leading nutrition experts are calling for a new tax on fatty foods to help reduce the country's high levels of obesity.

New Zealand is a country proud of its sporting heritage and outdoor lifestyle, but a new study has shocking revelations about people's waistlines.

The report shows half of all New Zealand adults are overweight.

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More than 1,000 people die each year from obesity - that's more than double the annual road death toll.

Making people feel bad is not the solution, say nutritionists

The report's authors include the Heart Foundation, diabetes experts and the Cancer Society. They are now recommending a special tax on sugary or fatty foods, and they want to see more information in cafeterias and restaurants.

The group says the current methods - making people feel bad about what they eat - are not particularly successful.

Not surprisingly, the recommendations have received a lukewarm response, at least on radio phone-ins.

Welfare groups say many low-income families rely on fast food because it is the cheapest available. They say a 'fat tax' will only penalise those who can least afford it.