Health experts in the UK have recommended using higher taxes to increase the prices of unhealthy food items by as much as 20 per cent in order to make enough people reduce consumption for reducing obesity and other diet-related diseases.

Experts have said that such taxed should be matched by subsidies on healthy food so that people are encouraged to shift diet and eating habbits, according to the research. Dr Oliver Mytton and Dr Mike Rayner of the Department of Public Health at Oxford University and other experts analysed health related food taxes from the around the world.

They found that Denmark imposes a "fat tax", Hungary a "junk food tax" and France a tax on all sweetened drinks. Peru and Ireland are also considering imposing such a health food tax on unhealthy food in order to discourage people from unhealthy eating habits. Prime Minister David Cameron has said last year that the UK should also impose such a tax on unhealthy food.

The authors of the report say that people may benefit because "progressive health gains are expected because poor people consume less healthy food and have a higher incidence of most diet-related diseases, notably cardiovascular disease."

The study was published in the British Medical Journal.