Self-regulation sponsored by industry: It’s not cricket
Rob Moodie, Kate Taylor, and Kerr O’Dea discuss the little that the Australian Government is doing to combat the epidemic. Kerr O’Dea then considers possible measures.
The world keeps getting fatter, and no country has yet successfully managed to reduce adult rates of overweight and obesity. Rates are leveling in a few countries – sometimes at low levels, as in Japan, Korea, and Switzerland, and sometimes at levels comparable to Australia, as in Hungary and England. Australia has also seen instances of flattening in trends (but at high levels) in preschool children, but adult rates continue to rise.
Governments should make obesity a priority because it has a negative impact on health budgets. Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food, has focused a report on the role that governments can play. The report highlights key policies that can be taken to improve health and nutritional status.
Included are:
Subventions for fruits and vegetables and taxation of unhealthy foods, such as soft drinks.
Regulation of foods high in salt, sugar, and saturated fats;
According to the World Health Organisation, regulating the reduction of unhealthy food advertisements for children is a good idea.
These interventions are vital because they protect those who are most vulnerable in our society, the poorest and young.
Local efforts
The Preventative Health Taskforce in Australia has developed a blueprint of action to combat obesity. The report acknowledged the government’s key role in reducing unhealthy food marketing to children, improving labels, and examining tax and pricing strategies.
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Unfortunately, these measures have not been implemented or seriously considered. Instead, the Government focused on elements like policies in child-care settings that encourage active play and food supply, funding of community interventions, and campaigns for social marketing, all of which are softer options, as satirized in The Hollowmen.
At the same, partnerships with industry have been prioritized. This is important, but it has led to a reluctance to leverage regulatory or fiscal measures due to lobbying from the many industries that profit from a high and increasing consumption of their products.
It is a missed opportunity because the tax and pricing measures lead to the greatest health gains within the shortest period. Australian research shows that these are cost-effective interventions. A tax of 10% results in significant health gains for low-income individuals. Many countries, including Denmark, Hungary, and France, have enacted legislation to tax sugar or fat.
The labeling of packaged foods has also been taken into consideration. The former health minister, Dr Neal Blewett, led a Review that recommended traffic-light labels on the front of packages. The Australian Government, in a surprise move, argued there wasn’t enough evidence to support this system.
A number of countries have enacted legislation for a fat tax. Jun Seita
Instead, it has established a group of organizations from the food industry and public health to explore options for an alternative program. Anyone, Minister? We haven’t learned anything from Europe, where the industry spent over one million Euros to fight against traffic light labels.
In Australia, unhealthy food marketing is a key battleground. It’s a major factor in the normalization of poor diets. Direct targeting of children is now easier and more affordable than ever. Integration across a variety of platforms and marketing has become increasingly sophisticated. Social media make it even more effective. Advertisements disguised as games are becoming increasingly popular. They have moved from television and the internet to mobile apps.
Self-regulation is dangerous
The Government has endorsed industry self-regulation, and marketers are far ahead of weak industry controls. Australian Communications and Media Authority and Australian Health Ministers have ignored calls for a nationwide approach. Currently, responsibility is vested with the Australian National Preventative Health Agency. The group was asked to conduct a new review of the available evidence, organize a seminar, and do some monitoring. We could see stronger self-regulation at best.
Governments around the globe are afraid of the influence of industries that are linked to the obesity epidemic. Not only are the manufacturers, retailers, and producers concerned, but also advertisers, public relations companies, and the media. All of them have a major interest in the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages. This includes alcoholic drinks.
Many industries have an economic interest in marketing unhealthy food and beverages. Tom Lawrence
Australia is a nation that loves sport, but it also has to deal with powerful organizations, like Cricket Australia, which benefit from sponsorships from junk food companies and the money earned by players who relentlessly promote these products to Australian children. The recent move made by the Government to work with a variety of sporting groups in order to reduce alcohol’s influence should be praised and expanded.
We could learn from our experience with good public health policies. The current Australian Government has a strong record in the fight against tobacco, as have previous Australian governments. These experiences must be used to reduce obesity and overweight. Unfortunately, but not avoidable, the short-term gains of managing obesity will require a political stance. The Government’s action against tobacco is incredible. The obesity epidemic needs to be tackled with the same determination.
