10 years ago
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Food should be regulated like tobacco, say campaigners
The food industry should be regulated like the tobacco industry as obesity poses a greater global health risk than cigarettes, say international groups. Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation are calling for the adoption of more stringent rules. These could include pictures on food packaging of damage caused by obesity, similar to those on cigarette packets.
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While obesity poses a huge threat to global health, regulations that force people one way or another, and even try to scare people off of foods, should be avoided. The key here is education and to increase the ease at which people can read food labels and understand what is good and bad for them. Putting scary pictures on food may make people stop eating those foods, but do you put the pictures on all food or just sugary ones or just high calorie ones? Where is that line?
Sure candy bars can be bad for you in excess, but there's nothing wrong with having a snickers on a hike or instead of a lunch once in a while. The same can't be said for tobacco.
Actually, it can. I know people that are social smokers, and they can literally smoke just one cigarette in a month. There is more damage done to someone's lungs from inhaling smoke from a brush fire than it is to smoke on very rare occasions. The goal of these labels is not to deter people from consuming these goods, be it tobacco, alcohol or junk food. The goal is to warn them of the health implications that consuming in excess can bring.
I for one am all for warning labels. Warning labels are simple, cost almost nothing and are effective on a massive scale. A lot of people in America do not get access to proper education, let alone access to the internet... They are especially at risk to this type of food because its cheap and plentiful, where as proper healthy food is expensive and time consuming to prepare. Sadly, warning labels alone will not curb the unhealthy consumption of junk food, there needs to be a lot more done, like giving everyone access to the type of food that everyone should be consuming in order to stay healthy.