Obesity and costs of low energy density foods: a case for state against consumer responsibility

The paper, after a short review of the different (economic, ethical and political) pros and cons of state interventions against obesity, presents the results of a survey aimed at testing the inverse relationship between energy density of foods and their energy cost. The econometric model confirms the presence of an inverse relation between food product prices and energy value, and hence represents further confirmation of the importance of factors of strict economic relevance in leading to the emergence and progressive increase in obesity worldwide. Results bring evidence of socio-economic causes of obesity, with the poorest swathe of society at higher risk, and add arguments in favour of state interventions, according to the stewardship perspective.