In his latest column for The Times, IEA Director General Mark Littlewood examines the consistency of government policy, coordination across … Continue reading “Is the government displaying a unity of purpose?”

In an article for City AM, IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics Christopher Snowdon argues that while many of Boris Johnson’s … Continue reading “Calorie labelling plan is not wholly objectionable but it is economically inefficient”

An article published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives recently outlined the theoretical justifications for taxing sugary drinks. The authors … Continue reading “The economics of soda taxes”

It seems unfair to call it a sweet shop. In the shopping centre north of Charlottenberg in south-western Sweden, barely … Continue reading “Norwegian sugar tax sends sweet-lovers over border to Sweden”

Nutrition is, at present, a provisional science. Studies are published every week which update the orthodox positions on everything from … Continue reading “Government diet guidelines should strive for public education, not social engineering”

It may no longer be just parents and children that face “naming and shaming” when it comes to childhood obesity. … Continue reading “Keep the nanny state out of our schools”

Last November the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, proposed a ‘total ban’ on new fast food establishments opening within 400 … Continue reading “Zoning bans for fast food outlets have been tried before. And failed.”

In these uncertain economic times, there is no better way for a lobbyist to get politicians’ attention than by promising … Continue reading “A thought experiment: what if everyone stopped drinking, smoking and overeating?”

Rumours abound that the government is secretly quite keen on imposing a new tax on sugary drinks, to attempt to … Continue reading “A sugar tax would only make the UK tax system more incoherent”