The Economist publishes special report on obesity and its costs

December 21st, 2012

This week’s edition of The Economist includes a 14-page special report on obesity and its costs. The articles show how multifaceted the obesity problem is and the struggle various stakeholders like industry, governments and health professionals go through in their search for solutions. It touches upon the devastating implications of obesity in all aspects of life, “from army and workforce health to health care costs and national economic prospects”.

The double burden of increasing overweight in combination with malnourishment in developing countries is also addressed in the report. Studies conducted by Prof. Barry Popkin, Choices International Scientific Committee Member and Professor at the University of North Carolina, show that in recent years, there were more overweight than underweight women in developing countries.

The picture outlined in the articles underlines the need to globally link activities and stakeholders, to work on prevention on  a global scale. The search for effective interventions is globally high on the agenda. And the roles of both government and industry are highly debated. Barry Popkin stated that “no place in the world have we had self-regulation shown to be successful at solving the issue”. Prof. Popkin is also the evaluator of the progress report on the US food industry’s pledge for next year “to remove 1.5 trillion calories from America’s diet”. His concern is the variation in companies’ commitments to change their practices, which he believes may change only in rich countries. 

The articles also point out the important role of food industry, to which “rising obesity rates present a conundrum”. On one hand, companies need to make profit and keep their shareholders happy; on the other hand, every company needs a plan to improve nutrition and commit to fighting obesity.

The special report is a must-read for everyone interested in facts, figures, implications and solutions to the world’s fattest problem: obesity.

Choices organises symposium in the Czech Republic

December 21st, 2012

On 26 September 2012, Vím, co jím - (Choices in the Czech Republic) organised a professional symposium dedicated to the theme of How to produce and sell healthy food products.

Among the symposium’s 70 participants were food producers, importers, retail chains, caterers and representatives from national and university institutes. Together they looked at what can be done to educate consumers on quality of food in the Czech Republic.

Currently, when shopping for regular food products, most consumers receive a lot of information that they are – for the most part – unable to understand. This could be improved through education, which could begin in elementary school.

Another problem is that the food industry suffers from a stringent regulatory environment, which ultimately has an impact on the type and quality of the information provided to consumers. “Self-regulation and solutions that make information more understandable for consumers would be beneficial” said Pavel Teclička, Chairman of the Choices International Foundation during his speech. He also underlined that due to a lack of public discussion within the food in industry in the Czech Republic, regulations are often put forward without any prior impact studies. This issue could be solved though discussion between industry and public authorities.

As the only guide for helping Czech consumers select food based on sound nutritional criteria, the Choices logo was presented as a way of helping consumers to select food that is truly healthier. Over the last year, several manufacturers have joined Vím, co jím, thus strengthening its product offering.

Choices hosts session at Latin American Congress of Nutrition

December 7th, 2012

The dramatic increase in obesity and its associated conditions in Latin American countries has produced a variety of initiatives aimed at encouraging healthy eating habits. Nutrition labelling and nutrient profiling will therefore be high on the agenda at the Latin American Congress of Nutrition, held in Cuba from 11-16 November 2012. A parallel session initiated by the Choices International Foundation will also focus on this topic. It will be moderated by Professor Uauy, Chair of the Choices Latin American Scientific Committee.

The objective of this session will be to generate awareness on the need to harmonise nutrient profiling methods and front-of-pack labelling within a multi-stakeholder setting, and this across Latin America. Experts from  Argentina (Dr Dombrowski), Brazil (Professor Wenzel de Menezes), Chile (Professor Uauy) and Mexico (Dr Carriedo) will present the experiences derived in their respective countries, while the representative for the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Branka Legetic, will outline the WHO-framework on nutrient profiling.

More information on the conference can be found at: http://www.slancuba.com/ProgramaSLANCUBA.pdf