Junk Food Leads to French Obesity

LONDON, August 8, 2008 -- In the land of baguettes and good cheese, the consumption of chocolate bars, chips and soda is on the rise, and obesity is through the roof, at least by French standards.

More than one-third of the French are obese or overweight. A controversial memo submitted to the government recommends a tax increase on junk food to get the French back on the baguette track.

The memo from a government agency suggests raising an existing tax from 5.5 percent to 19.6 percent on products that contain too much fat, sugar or salt.

But would that deter families from buying chocolate bars, chips and soda? Not at all, says Paris-based nutritionist Dr. Arnaud Cocaul.

"The tax idea is rather stupid," Cocaul told ABCNews.com recently. "It is very difficult to say which product is good and which product is bad."

Even the Confederation Paysanne, an organization that defends traditional farmers and French-quality products, deemed the idea ludicrous. That opposition is surprising, given that the organization's flamboyant leader, Jose Bove, earned worldwide fame after he trashed a McDonald's restaurant and burned genetically modified corn fields in 1999.

"This is scandalous," the confederation's national secretary, Philippe Colin, told ABCNews.com recently, adding that it was "just another tax to fix the government's budget situation."

The government's health insurance department has a $13 billion deficit.

"You may forbid some products because they are deemed unhealthy, but you cannot raise taxes on them, especially now that the French are struggling with rising food prices," Colin said.

Inflation is one of France's top concerns, according to numerous polls. President Nicolas Sarkozy's approval ratings have plummeted because of rising prices within the past months.

Shortly after French daily newspaper Les Echos leaked the memo, the budget ministry announced that it would forbid a tax increase on food, worried perhaps about angering voters even further. Still, the ministry added that at least part of this memo will be submitted to the National Assembly for approval.