LOL! No kidding!
Posted on 02/26/2006 11:51:35 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
MONTREAL (CP) - It may take a special tax to help fight what one Canadian sociologist calls the "obesogenic food environment" - the junk food that's prominently displayed in supermarkets and schools.
Anthony Winson of the University of Guelph said high-sugar and high-fat products are "aggressively promoted" every week in grocery stores.
"You can have maybe 20 special displays in a supermarket that are around every corner promoting types of high-sugar, high-fat products, whether they be candy bars or soft drinks," Winson said in an interview.
He said the displays are advantageous for retailers because they bring in extra revenue.
"If you look at the trade magazines of the industry, they claim that high-sugar, high-fat products are typically among the most lucrative in the supermarket...they get the highest returns," Winson said at a recent food conference sponsored by the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.
"And the corporations that are promoting these products are extremely powerful in the food system."
Winson defines the "obesogenic food environment" as the penetration of supermarkets and schools with junk food.
He suggested a tax on low-nutrition food products might help "because the price for society in the long run is going to be extremely high."
"A lot of this is nothing new. We've done it with tobacco. We can do it with junk foods and low nutrition foods," Winson said.
He suggested the tax revenues could be put into promoting healthy eating.
Nick Jennery, president of the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, defended the promotions and said supermarkets are not in the health-regulation business.
"We're in the business of giving consumers choice, and if you walk into pretty much any grocery store, you will see a lot of choice, whether it's low fat or low sugar or fresh product," Jennery said.
He said there is more fresh product on the floors of supermarkets than there has ever been "in the entire Canadian grocery history."
"We are not going to tell consumers what they should and should not eat," Jennery said.
"It's the consumer who has to make choices, not the grocery store," he said.
Winson said he conducted a survey of supermarkets in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph area of southwestern Ontario.
He said the survey found that "something in the range of 30 per cent of shelf space ... is devoted to high-fat, high-sugar products."
"The latest innovation of supermarkets are massive displays of ice-cream products, both high sugar and high fat," Winson added.
Mary Bush, head of Health Canada's Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, was non-committal when asked if the federal government should intervene and adopt legislation - especially when it comes to junk food advertising aimed at children.
"I think we need to understand better the issue.
"One doesn't take those kinds of measures until you have a good understanding of what the issue is and it's influence," Bush said.
Winson also complained about vending machines in schools.
He pointed out that high schools get much-needed revenues from junk food and he blames governments for putting them in that position.
so what!!!!! I pay for car insurance too due to those who have accidents...should we ban those as well. I still have not heard from you about your perfection. God it must be awesome to be you.
The defense of obesity on this forum is truly humerous.
I can't think of another serious health condition that could be more easily prevented. Food isn't even addictive.
I'm sorry; you'll get no sympathy on this one from me. You want to jack up your body in a way that leads to so many health problems, go right ahead, but don't expect me to desire to pay for it down the road.
If you have sickle cell, fine. Nothing you could do to prevent that. Same thing with breast cancer, for the most part. But people who don't have the discipline to maintain an exercise routine/stable diet aren't winning the same level of respect. People weren't obese 50, even 20 years ago. No excuse for it now.
Oh I hate that I am so under control, but please explain yourself on your little crack about breast cancer. Please explain "Same thing with breat cancer, to a point". Do you really think that breast cancer is controlled? What medical place do you work at so I stay away. You are down right scary. I don't even know you and I feel so sorry for you. Oh, sorry that must be pity.
Junk food is already expensive in Canada...
This is already being mandated through the Model School Nutrition Program in schools. The Healthy People 2010 program intends to mandate this across the board to eliminate health disparities by 2010.
I'm so glad my daughter will graduate from highschool in 2007!
LOL! No kidding!
I thought you were going to jump on poor Teddy who, IMHO, defines "most obsenely obese."
Have you ever seen a painting of Henry the VIII? You are immensely condecending. I am glad that you are perfect and I am certain that you are void of any flaws. Wow.
I am not defending obesity, I am just asking at what point does it stop? If an insurance company can take your weight into account individually as a way to determine your individual insurance cost, shouldn't they also be able to take into account other things like your family health history, ethnicity, genetic make up etc? I don't think anyone would be for that. So, what would you propose is a fair and equitable solution for everyone?
LOL! Well, between The Diver and Michael Moore it's kind of a toss up. I'm glad I'm not the engineer on the stage crew that has to host them both simultaneously.
The defense of obesity on this forum is truly humerous.
I can't think of another serious health condition that could be more easily prevented. Food isn't even addictive.
I'm sorry; you'll get no sympathy on this one from me. You want to jack up your body in a way that leads to so many health problems, go right ahead, but don't expect me to desire to pay for it down the road.
If you have sickle cell, fine. Nothing you could do to prevent that. Same thing with breast cancer, for the most part. But people who don't have the discipline to maintain an exercise routine/stable diet aren't winning the same level of respect. People weren't obese 50, even 20 years ago. No excuse for it now.
Now, the only REAL Coke you can get comes from Mexico.
I'm sure if the liberals could get away with it, they'd have the BBC buy PBS and NPR and force all Americans to pay the BBC's annual TV tax and have TV detector vans in America. That would make PBS the REAL BBC America.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.