With the increase in numbers of overweight children and young adults, Canada and other developed countries are facing an obesity epidemic, according to a new article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which goes on to state that legislative approaches will be required to address the problem. Canadians have become heavier and less fit over the last three decades; people aged 20-39 years have the BMI (body mass index) that people aged 40 or older had thirty years ago. The 2007-2009 Canadian... ...Read more »

It’s time to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions! According to a recent national survey by the MorningStar Farms brand, among people who have made resolutions in the past, nine in 10 people have set health-related goals. Such goals include losing weight (66 percent) eating less junk food (47 percent) and consuming fewer calories (36 percent). However, when it comes to staying on-track and keeping those resolutions – health and otherwise – the majority of those surveyed... ...Read more »

Kellogg’s today received some tough news to swallow as it was named as having one of Australia’s worst junk food marketing campaigns to target children, for the fourth year running. Parents from around the country voted the distasteful campaign for LCMs snack bars winner of the ‘Pester Power’ category, in the sixth annual Parents Jury Fame & Shame Awards held in Sydney. In a further blow to Kellogg’s, parents also crowned the giant food manufacturer’s ads for... ...Read more »

A new report by the University of Queensland and Deakin University has highlighted the need for preventative health, recommending a 10% junk food tax, salt limits in bread, margarine and cereals, increase alcohol tax, a ban on alcohol ads and an increased drinking age of 21. The Assessing Cost Effectiveness of Prevention (ACE-Prevention) project is the result of five years of research, funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.  It is the most comprehensive evaluation of health... ...Read more »

Spain has launched a new law to curb the sale of “junk” food, snacks and drinks in the country’s schools to tackle growing obesity rates, the Health Ministry announced on Friday (September 3). The legislation seeks to promote “healthy” food menus in schools, and will force the food industry to use new technologies to minimise trans-fat content in food products aimed at school children. According to the ministry, 9.13% of kids under 15 are obese and 18.4% are overweight.... ...Read more »

VicHealth has today welcomed a bid to introduce a mandatory levy on alcohol and junk food advertising, in light of research that shows the overwhelming majority of Victorians want these industries to be accountable for the harm they cause. “A levy on junk food and alcohol advertising would shift the focus away from products that are harmful for health and put the spotlight on the promotion of healthier products,” VicHealth CEO, Todd Harper, said. “We know from VicHealth research... ...Read more »

A new report by Datamonitor, Kids Nutrition: New Perspectives and Opportunities, suggests that more than one third of European children are overweight or obese, a problem they attribute to rising prosperity. Europe and America continue to lead the world in childhood obesity levels, but the report suggests that the rest of the world is not far behind. Studies in Australia show that childhood obesity is definitely on the rise, with a 2003 Victorian study showing 26.7% of 7-11 year olds as overweight... ...Read more »

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) plans to discuss ways of using price to reduce the consumption of fatty foods and sugary soft drinks. The issue has been pencilled in for an FSA board meeting in autumn of this year, a spokesperson for the food safety body confirmed to just-drinks yesterday (10 May). It is thought that forcing up the price of full sugar soft drinks, as well foods high in saturated fat, may help to reduce consumption. One way of doing this could be via value added tax, which currently... ...Read more »

New research by VicHealth (the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation) suggests that three quarters of Victorians support a levy on alcohol and junk food advertising, with proceeds going to replace sponsorship by these industries in community sports. The survey also found that more than four out of five Victorians would like to see and end to alcohol sponsorship of local sports clubs, provided the lost funds are made up. The survey, conducted in November last year, randomly surveyed 1500 Victorians... ...Read more »

The European Consumers Association (BEUC) yesterday (27 April) insisted that a pledge to stop advertising junk food to children under the age of 12 throughout the EU needs to go further. Five European snack makers have decided to sign up to the EU Pledge, which was originally set up in 2007. Back then, manufacturers including Kraft Foods and Danone committed to stop any advertising on TV, in print and on the Internet that was targeted at children under the age of 12. This week, more companies, including... ...Read more »