Chief scientist: Jury still out on sugar tax

  • 30/07/2015
The Government says tackling obesity is a top priority (file)
The Government says tackling obesity is a top priority (file)

About 1.2 million New Zealanders are obese, and it's a problem that's costing us $1 billion a year.

The Government says tackling obesity is a top priority, but Prime Minister John Key doesn't think sugar and fat taxes will achieve anything.

So what can be done? Is it about education or should we be considering such taxes?

The Prime Minister's chief science advisor Sir Peter Gluckman says the evidence suggests taxes do impact consumption, but whether it's enough to reduce obesity is still to be found out.

Watch the video for the full interview.