Twinkie Taxes for Corporate Wellness

Do you feel like it’s more expensive to eat healthy? If so, you’re not the only one. Twinkie taxes are here to solve that problem and make healthier options more affordable. A twinkie tax, also known as a fat tax is an increase on prices of unhealthy food in order to discourage poor eating habits. There have been several examples of twinkie taxes being implemented throughout the United States. Berkley, Seattle, and Philadelphia have implemented sugary drink taxes. Similarly, Nebraska and Arkanses have snack food taxes. These taxes alone have led to a 7% decrease in consumption from sugary drinks, one of the unhealthiest forms of calorie consumption. Further reports predict that twinkie taxes will lead to a reduction in obesity.

On a smaller scale, twinkie taxes can be applied in a corporate setting, possibly even in your wellness program, to encourage better nutritional choices. Here’s how:

• Subsidize the costs of healthier meals in the office cafeteria and vending machines.
• Implement a sugary drink tax within the office! You can use the extra money generated to subsidize the cost of healthier options.
• If employees are offered the option to select free office meals, add an additional cost per employee for unhealthy food.
• Use loss aversion tactics and clearly indicate when the cost of a meal, snack, or drink is more expensive because it is considered to be unhealthy. Loss aversion is the tendency to prefer to avoid surcharges instead or receive discounts (even if it meant the same results financially).

These tactics make for an effective motivator to improving employee nutrition. They also show employees you care and make it easy for employees to make healthier choices each and every day.

Eating habits are strongly influenced by financial circumstances and it is definitely more difficult to find low cost nutrient rich food on the go. Implementing twinkie taxes is therefore an effective part of a greater wellness program for any office.