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.
What it means as decoded is:
We are a thriving society, we have jumped the hurdle of starvation and petulance, so now that we are complacent in our human endeavors, it is reasonable for government to finger the pot of prosperity and use this new found prosperity politically and dictate how we are to manage this prosperity.
I wonder what Websters definition of "tyranny" is....
So YOU are one of those who give ideas to the wrong people! LoL!
The humiliation factor alone might cure the "epidemic". sarc.
"How does it feel to be no better than cattle now?"
Well, that ear tag kinda bugs me, but other than that..."Moooo!"
Very well said! What you stated is what I continually try to explain to people that want to ban smoking, that want to have government tell private businesses how they should be run and those that bash successful business for not GIVING employees every little "perk" they think they deserve. And don't even get me started on the "it's for the children" crowd, LOL!
It's very scarey how so many people can't see The Big Picture on issues that WILL eventually effect them. I guess it's easier being sheeple. *Shrug*
Great job!
Let me see if I got this right: The more junk food one eats the more healthy eating they promote. I guess it makes sense to someone.
Agreed, which again, is why it's a public health concern. As are all of those problems. Well, there's more to the illegal alien invasion than that, of course.
Of course 30% of the population combined doesn't have HIV, a drug or alcohol problem, or is an alcoholic.
How about a special tax on Liberals to help fight stupidity?
That's all well and fine if you have a hankering for the stuff. It doesn't even sound so bad when you read the label.
What you should know is the stuff is made from recycled milk, the stuff that has gone bad on the store shelf. They just reprocess it, remove the green stuff, and make it into a nice thick tasty product which never seems to go bad after that. (Blaaahh!)
But hey I like cottage cheese, so who am I to talk? :o)
You got that right!
They can't just encourage and promote healthy eating, they must turn to MANDATING through legislation.
I don't eat much junk food and can well live without it. But I don't want the government or anyone else telling me what I must do in situations where it's none of their damn business.
Rush and many other conservatives including She Lion and Gabz have been warning about the above for years.
Stay away from sociologists if you can. They are an unseemly lot.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
OK fine how about a tax credit for buying fruits and vegetables? Or tax credit for sneakers and gym gear? Or how about a tax credit for keeping your BMI within the prescribed boundaries?
Alarmists (almost always Lieberals) will tax you to death in order to try and save you!
Common sense cannot be legislated.
Liberals imposing tyranny one small tax at a time!
I have avery simple solution for this moron: M-O-V-E T-O C-U-B-A! Noone there has this problem.
I think they need to poll people to see if they're 'food insecure' first ;)
Exactly! Our *ahem* wonderful governor in Oregon has proposed a tax on cigarettes to pay for "universal healthcare". At the same time, they spend our tax dollars on all sorts of billboards and TV ads to command people to stop smoking. Tell me how that makes one bit of sense. I guess that's the new (socialist) math...
Sorry, sometimes I can't help myself... :)
Yes, attacking smokers was the test case. I'm not a smoker, but I vigorously support the right of smokers to partake of their habit (within reason of course). Now that the sharks have their taste of blood, they will be coming for much more.
I know the feeling my FRiend!
"I think they need to poll people to see if they're 'food insecure' first ;)"
Did you see my posting on Friday (I think) showing that I found the same boiler-plate article about a spike in "the number of hungry people" in the USA state, by state, by state?
Amazing. We're either all starving to death and dying in the streets, or too fat from eating nothing but Cheetos, depending upon the day of the week, LOL!
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