Plain packaging for junk food?
This article was first published on The Conversation
Australia should consider a healthy food rebate, tax on sugary drinks, and regulated portion sizes argue health experts, as New York pushes ahead with government regulation to address the obesity epidemic.
The New York City health commissioner behind a proposed cap on the container size of sugary soft drinks has argued government regulation of portion sizes is justifiable and could help fight America’s obesity problem.
Writing in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr Thomas Farley writes governments that do nothing about the marketing of high-calorie sugary drinks are inviting even higher rates of obesity, diabetes and related mortality.
Yes, junk food should be wrapped in plain white paper or.. I don’t know… old newspapers??
Too much effort. Just get rid of healthcare, drop taxes on fast food (+ smokes) and let natural selection do its job!
OH FFS what is going on in this world….why not just chop the tongues out of kids who eat bad food and be done with it. Then give their parents 500 face palms in the public pillary.
Plain Tobacco packaging.
Plain Fast Food packaging.
Perhaps Plain Alcohol packaging then?
After all, excess consumption can lead to many health issues. The research proves it.
Let’s all just take a step back and prevent evolution.
… ‘When the history of the world’s attempt to address obesity is written, the greatest failure may be collaboration with and appeasement of the food industry’.”
Hungry Jacks is the new Hitler and Nachos are the new Nazis.
Their case is overstated and their language melodramatic to the point of offensive absurdity. And encouraging government regulation over parental control (in cases such as childhood obesity) is never a good idea.
As for the suggestion of paying people in “isolated locations, particularly aboriginal communities” to eat good food, how patronisingly racist – Here’s a few dollars, go down the supermarket (there is one close by, isn’t there?) and buy yourself a fresh lettuce.
Define junk food?
@well, my thoughts exactly. This is academics trying to justify their tenure. What about all those breakfast cereals that are basically a bowl of sugar with milk that the elite athletes promote. Where does it stop? You call in to get a kebab at 1 in the morning on the way home form the pub ‘sorry we can’t sell kebabs anymore, here have some carrot and celery sticks’. Every time this type of argument comes up – and it’s often – I have the same question that is yet to be answered; Why is the manufacturer of a product responsible for the purchasing decisions of the consumer? When did personal responsibility become someone elses responsibility?
@no one important.
High sugar cereals would definitely be under the junk food banner wouldn’t they? I still scratch my head at how Nutri Grain are allowed to market the way they do?
I agree that it is hard to define ‘junk food’, because maple syrup (if eaten every day, in heavy portions) could be bad for you, however once in a while (say on pancake day) all good. That is the hard part.
Junk food abuse needs to be addressed. If I had to pay loads for maple syrup, because it is high sugar, I could live with it if it is just once a year v every week, but would that stop the abuse?
(I am not saying that obese people are obese because of maple syrup.) Macca’s is cheap as chips though isn’t it……………………..
Beautifully coded language in the article. Which basically says, poor people and aboriginals are too weak to think for themselves and simply react to shiny, coloured packets. Young children are equally shunning the family evening meal, waltzing down to the local greasy spoon unabetted and spending their vast income on having a burger instead. What planet are they on?
Make the packets plain and the problem is solved. Yeah, right. And academia wonders why it is losing respect?
Instead of targeting the food as a whole, why not only target unhealthy people? For instance, one of the conditions for accessing public healthcare could be to attend a fat camp (assuming you’re fat).
I wonder why it has taken the government this long.
There is SO much sugar content in “fat free” products. It is SO misleading. (and yes, cereal one of the worst)
Sugar content needs to be on the front of the packet at least – it needs to be made obvious. Sugar is a drug. A lot of people do not know this.
And kids get diagnosed with ADHD…….. It’s because of parents not knowing how much sugar they are feeding their kids. This is very tragic.
Educate yourselves and if you can’t…… let the government do this.