Ban Junk Food In Schools: Doctors
The Sunday Age
Sunday November 27, 2005
SOFT drink and chip vending machines would be banned in schools and chocolate and lolly fund-raisers scrapped under a hardline plan by the Australian Medical Association to tackle the "obesity epidemic".
In its first policy statement on nutrition, to be released tomorrow, the AMA also wants to prevent toys being given away with food, especially fast food meals and breakfast cereal. AMA president Mukesh Haikerwal told The Sunday Age that childhood obesity was becoming a crisis that could lead to a decline in life expectancy. Dramatic actions were needed to change the food culture."It's a very hardline starting point but if you waiver on each of those areas it gives mixed messages," he said. "We're coming from a very strong-arm, almost a purist way, about how you approach this significant crisis." The AMA also calls for:? The Federal Government to ensure every person has access to affordable fresh fruit and vegetables. (In some remote communities prices are 10 times those of cities and quality is poor, it says.)? An overhaul of the nutrition information contained on food labels, which it says is confusing.? Food companies to be forced to "justify the 'good health' claims" they make, as manufacturers of medical products are required to do.? A national accreditation system for weight loss programs to identify those that are evidence-based. It says most diet information is "fad-based", its "accuracy untested" and there is a poor understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet.? National nutrition standards for residential aged care.? The Federal Government to create a national nutrition centre at a cost of $10 million a year and to allocate $10 million for an independent nutrition survey.The report says teachers and parents play an important role in educating children about food choices but healthy food messages taught at home or in the classroom are being undermined by advertising and the easy availability of junk food at school.The AMA says vending machines in schools "provide access to poor nutritional choices, including chocolates, crisps, lollies and soft drinks" and it wants schools to get rid of them. It says the "only appropriate option" is a vending machine that stocks bottled water.It says many schools rely on fund-raising by selling doughnuts, chocolates and sweets to support student and staff activities, but "this type of fund-raising should cease and be replaced by healthier fund-raising options". Dr Haikerwal said this could include fruit drives, fun runs, bike rides and treasure hunts with prizes that "do not pile on the calories".The AMA stops short of wanting a ban on unhealthy food being sold in school canteens, noting the pressure to be economically viable, but advocates incentives for promoting healthy lunch boxes, training for canteen staff and "best-practice canteens" to be models for others.Dr Haikerwal renewed the call for a ban on food advertising to children but also wants to ban the use of promotional toys. He called for a review of celebrity food endorsements, saying those that promoted fruit and milk were worthwhile, but others were not.The report says there are an estimated 792 million people across the globe who are malnourished but more than 1 billion overweight adults. Overweight children are 50 per cent more likely to become overweight adults and children with overweight parents have twice the risk of becoming overweight as other children, it says.Dr Haikerwal said nutrition information on food labels was not easy to decipher and was "confusing to the public" with too much focus on fat and sugar content. It should be easier for shoppers to understand the various portion sizes and to work out if they were eating the right quantity for their needs, he said.Although acknowledging there are genetic and cultural reasons for obesity, the report says the main reasons for it becoming an epidemic are diet and lack of exercise.This increased the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, respiratory and skin problems and reproductive disorders, Dr Haikerwal said."A diet that includes a variety of foods from all food groups is really the only evidence-based healthy diet," says the report, which recommends the "traditional diet pyramid should no longer be used and there should be a focus on variety and the correct quantity of energy for an individual's requirement".Dr Haikerwal said state and federal governments had talked up the need to tackle obesity with various summits and reports, but had not backed these statements with enough action. "The level of investment in prevention and nutrition literacy is remarkably low given the scale of the epidemic and the rising trends. A clearer commitment from governments is needed. The money has gone into committees, not into action."He urged governments to conduct regular national nutrition surveys to allow patterns of food consumption to be monitored and evaluated.The Federal Government gives schools grants of up to $1500 to promote healthy eating as part of a $116 million plan announced by the Prime Minister last year to tackle childhood obesity. The plan encourages physical activity. It also launched a $5 million campaign in April to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables and is spending $2 million on a nutrition study in schools in conjunction with the food industry.INSIDE? Victorians get the message? Children given a serve? Parents want big boys, little girls, PAGE 6? Editorial, PAGE 20
© 2005 The Sunday Age