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Call for EU-wide junk food ban
Thursday May 27, 2004 David Batty and agencies European legislation would be needed to impose an effective ban on junk food advertising, according to a public health specialist. Dr Geof Rayner, the former chairman of the UK Public Health Association (UKPHA), said that a national ban on television commercials that promote junk food, such as burgers and fizzy drinks, would be ineffective because of widespread and growing access to satellite TV. His comments came after the Commons health select committee today recommended a voluntary ban on TV commercials promoting unhealthy food in a damning report on Britainâs obesity epidemic. Of course, this will not stop the EU pols from running up tremendous expense accounts debating something so patently ridiculous. Protesters will waddle over these politiciansâ broken and bleeding bodies to get to a properly made American hamburger. He said: "In order to impose any limit on the amount of junk food advertisements for children we must tackle it at the European level. In Sweden they have a ban on marketing to children but a lot comes in through satellite TV, so the food industry can usurp the national ban." Dr Rayner, who sits on the UKPHA council, also called on the government to address European Union (EU) subsidies for unhealthy foods. He said that 48% of the European commissionâs budget went on subsidies to the food industry, but this funding took no account of how healthy the food produced was. "[T]ackle it at an European level ..." What, like Spain did with the war on terror? Bwahahahaha!!! "The EU shouldnât be subsidising fats and sugars. Subsidies need to go towards those parts of the industry which are producing healthy foods. The UK government could take the lead there and conduct a health impact assessment on the European common agricultural policy." Although Dr Rayner said that only a global obesity strategy would be able to counterbalance the efforts of multinational food companies, he did recommend that local authorities draw up strategies to address the health inequalities that often lay behind high rates of obesity. Maybe if they stopped subsidizing every last corner tobacconist and mom-and-pop shop, but I digress. "We know that people living in more deprived areas can obtain a wide range of cheap âenergy denseâ options such as crisps and chocolates, and have less access to healthier foods", he said. "Primary care trusts and local authorities need to develop their own food and health strategy which looks at what local people are eating; access to healthy food; the pricing of food; school nutrition; and obesogenic influences, such as sedentary lifestyles." How about letting Darwin set the rules? Itâs worked rather well for millions of years. Paul Streets, chief executive of the Health Development Agency, said that tackling health inequalities was central to reducing spiralling rates of obesity. He said: "Levels of obesity are up to twice as high among women in disadvantaged groups, children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to suffer weight problems and there is a higher prevalence in some ethnic groups and in different regions across the country. "Individual choice is often blamed as the cause of obesity. However, itâs vital to remember disadvantaged people may not have a choice - whether it be the cost of eating healthily, having transport to reach shops selling fresh fruit and veg or having access to safe places to be physically active." The health select committeeâs report criticised the NHS for not making the treatment and prevention of obesity a top priority. It highlighted examples of GPs being told to cut down on prescriptions for obesity drugs and patients having difficulties accessing services. Slap a legislative BandAid on a sucking chest wound. Way to go, Europe! Posted by: Zenster 2004-05-27 |
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