The food prices/body mass index relationship : theory and evidence from a sample of French adults.

Summary What would be the effect of a "fat tax" on obesity? The article shows that the sign of the price-weight relationship is uncertain, as a price decrease has a positive direct effect on weight via an increase in energy intake, and a potentially negative indirect effect if the surplus income is allocated to goods and services that induce energy expenditure. The authors use data from the Sécodip panel to examine the relationships between the prices of 16 groups of foodstuffs and the different quantiles of the distribution of the body mass index of adults. They find positive correlations for prepared foods and snacks, and negative correlations for seafood and fruit. Thus, it is unlikely that the obesity epidemic will be stopped by implementing nutrition taxes.