France fights obesity with 'Nutella Tax'

Lifting a page from New York Mayor Bloomberg, the French government has apparently soured on a sweet treat with a belt-tightening measure sure to be unpopular with the masses. The French Senate on Wednesday passed a measure that would triple the tax on several kinds of vegetable oils, including palm oil, in an effort to curb obesity. Dubbed the "Nutella Tax" (after the beloved chocolate-hazelnut spread, which contains vegetable oils), the measure would net the government $51 million. The Italian company Ferrero produces Nutella, and its top French official said the company would not change its recipe to avoid the tax, which awaits a vote by the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. [Source]

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