Food matters
- By Eugene Clark and Lisa Chambers
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E-mail China.org.cn, December 31, 2014
7. The food industry can play a significant role in reducing childhood obesity by:
·reducing the fat, sugar and salt content of complementary foods and other processed foods. For example, California in 2014 introduced a sugar tax.
·ensuring that healthy and nutritious choices are available and affordable to all consumers;
·practicing responsible marketing especially those aimed at children and teenagers.
8. Food advertising. A joint report from the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization concluded that in many countries the current environment of aggressive marketing is considered a "probable" causal factor in weight gain and obesity. Reviews of the effects of food advertising to children found that food is promoted to children more than any other product, except for toys during the Christmas period. Television was the primary medium and the top five advertised products were sugared breakfast cereals, soft-drinks, confectionary, savory snacks and fast foods (Hastings, Stead et al. 2004). Some have called for clearer food labeling, for example, adopting a red-green-yellow traffic light system that makes it easier for consumers to identify health food choices.
9. Technology is also part of the healthy solution. Developments in e-health have great potential to improve access to health care monitoring, education and delivery. Technology solutions will also improve efficiency and overall effectiveness. For example, assisted by a nurse and using video conferencing and devices that measure key vital signs, children no longer have to leave school to see a doctor.
In the end, all of the various measures above are about creating for society a health culture. The key is to make health choices easy choices and change the focus from one of "sickness" to wellness. To choose good nutrition is to choose health and wellness. To choose poor nutrition is to opt for slow poisoning. Creating this culture of health and wellness will require industry, governments, families, workplaces and individuals to partner with one another and together to work towards improved health outcomes, learn and constantly improve. Good nutrition is vital to provide both the "fuel" to achieve the good health and society wellness that will result.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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