Bucharest has knives out for junk food

The Romanian government has announced its introduction of a tax on junk food in order to help fund the health system and fight obesity. Set to come into force from next March, the measure has fomented a lively debate. Evenimentul zileifeels that for the tax to be effective it "must go hand-in-hand with an awareness-raising campaign and by a lowering of the prices of healthy food." There is also a risk that the number of unlicensed businesses (nearly half) "that do not necessarily respect the quality and hygiene standards imposed on the major chains" may have even more harmful consequences for the population's health. România liberă on the other hand feels that the mandatory reduction of junk food consumption "could save thousands of lives" in this country where the strongest growth in central and eastern Europe in the consumption of hamburgers, fizzy drinks, snacks and other sweets has been observed and where a quarter of the population suffers from obesity.