I honestly think you're overstating it a little. For example there are places where foie gras is banned. I would not characterize it as brutal and oppressive. I guess there are some libertarians who would say oppressive is the proper word, but surely we can agree that brutal is a step too far?

Such a program could be done as a rachet, similarly to how tobacco use was driven to the margins.

The article isn't talking about niche goods like foie Gras, it is talking about sugar and salt. Any proposal to control intake of those would have to be much more complex.

Again I'm not saying it would be trivial, but we know how to tax food. It is not as complex as you're making it out to be. Putting a 400% tax (or whatever, not a health economist) on all ready to drink liquids with sugar concentrations greater than X g/L, and banning their sale outside grocery stores, would make a significant dent in overall sugar consumption.