"Tackling the Problem of Obesity, a 2005 Priority"

international | consumer issues | opinion/analysis

Sunday January 02, 2005 06:38

by Ross Getman

ross_getman at hotmail dot com

with Ireland leading the way

Soda should be eliminated from public schools.

Dr Patrick Wal, Professor of Food Safety at the UCD Centre for Food Safety and medical epidemiologist at the Institute for the Study of Social Change,wrote "Tackling the Problem of Obesity, a 2005 Priority" in Irish Times.

He explained that "the [World Health Organization] strategy calls on governments to take measures to curb unhealthy eating, promote exercise and look at food labelling and advertising. But many governments which have strong sugar industries, including the US which is also the home of Coke and Pepsi, maintained that the suggestion would restrict trade."

He concluded:

"Ireland led the world with the smoking ban. Maybe we can do the same for the obesity problem. Let's make a start in 2005."

Given that Ireland has already led the world, as I recall, in having commercial signage on school vending machines replaced, perhaps it could lead the world in ridding its public schools of soda.

In the United States, individual school districts in the country have gone soda free, to include New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Austin, Buffalo and Scranton. But there still is an inertia that might be best overcome by a trend of national soda bans abroad, starting with Ireland.

New Year's calls for bold resolutions.

In Canada, the soda companies pulled out of elementary and middle school voluntarily after concerned parents complained.

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Comments (3 of 3)

it's the little things that give away the murderer.

by agatha christie

Sun Jan 02, 2005 19:23

little mistakes.
little oversights.

There are Very fat people in America
Michael Moore now there's a very fat man.
too much ice cream.

Don't go there

by Pop-up

Sun Jan 02, 2005 20:44

It is full of annoying pop-ups and cookies

Obesity report from Canadians looking south-

by canada - adopted kids

Sun Jan 02, 2005 22:54

http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=171cc4f2-cc3b-493c-b221-f8b13e85f15f

The Canadian border will remain open despite a mad cow desiese scare, promise Federal authorities, so
draft dodgers can still go north to safety.
armed safety.
with the doors open.
and a weird sense of humour
and no history of prohibition
or witch hunts.
nor that much genocide either come to think about it.
and keeping an eye on Alaskan secret projects.
with the russians of course.

Prime Minister Paul Martin has announced Canada is doubling its financial aid to south Asia, and the military's emergency response team could be deployed on Monday. Canadian aid now stands at 80,000,000$ ( a canadian dollar is worth 83.20 american cents) The rise of 7.9% in the canadian dollar's value is keeping many poorer canadians north of the border though for the moment the poorer aren't being hurt by the weak dollar as the Canadian social welfare system is pretty solid.
http://www.metronews.ca/reuters_national.asp?id=48601
just like Canadians who weigh less than Americans who really got their low tech thing wrong.

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"Tackling the Problem of Obesity, a 2005 Priority"

Comments (3 of 3)