For the first time in history, a country has adopted a new tax targeting fatty foods.
Denmark is the first country in the world to impose higher taxes on fatty foods, including butter, cheese, milk and pizza.
The so-called "Fat Tax" targets products with more than 2.3 percent of saturated fats. Customers will now have to pay about three dollars more per kilogram of saturated fats in a product.
Denmark's government hopes the new tax will limit obesity and heart disease. About 10 percent of people in Denmark are considered clinically obese.
This certainly isn't the first time we've heard about taxes targeting unhealthy foods or drink.
Last year, then-governor David Paterson pushed for a soda tax. It would have put a penny per ounce tax on soda and sugary drinks with less than 70 percent fruit juice.
Some local store owners fought against it, urging lawmakers to oppose it.
Boston lawmakers considered banning the sale of sodas at city hall and all city-owned buildings.
New York City became the first city in the country to ban trans fats at restaurants and California was the first state in the nation to ban trans fats.
While Denmark uses a new fatty foods tax to deal with its 10 percent obesity, the U.S. struggles with figures much higher than that. Among children and adolescents ages 2-19, an estimated 17 percent are obese. That's just young people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that some 72.5 million adults in the U.S. are obese, putting them at risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some forms of cancer and early death.
Do you support a "fat tax" or a "soda tax?" What role should government play in all of this? Is it a creative way to raise revenue while helping people be healthier? Or are they infringing on your rights? Do Americans have enough self control to do it themselves? Or do we need regulations to help us make smarter choices? Leave your thoughts below.
