Absolute destruction on this French TV debate:
“You are telling me I’m a health risk because I’m unvaccinated, but you are health risk because you are obese.” pic.twitter.com/ONlMYirlFj
— Marie Oakes (@TheMarieOakes) August 9, 2021
Eau.
*wobble*
France implements Macron’s Covid pass despite protests (RTÉ)
This afternoon.
Kilcock, County Kildare.
Alternatively…
This afternoon.
The launch of the Irish Heart Foundation’s Childhood Obesity Manifesto.
Aoife, Ishita and John (at front), members of the IHF youth advisory panel, joined (from left) Chris Macey, Head of Advocacy, Irish Heart Foundation, Tim Collins, CEO of IHF and Professor Francis Finucane, Professor of Medicine NUI Galway and Consultant Endocrinologist, Galway University Hospital
Through the Manifesto, the Irish Heart Foundation is seeking action to c”ut childhood obesity by 50% in the next decade which could save tens of thousands of our children from lives dominated by chronic disease and long-term ill-health before premature death”.
Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland
A sugar tax to ‘tackle obesity’ is among proposals being considered by the government
Further to renewed calls today for a tax on ‘sugar sweetened’ drinks.
Eamon Delaney, at the Hibernia Forum writes:
The Sugar tax proposal is yet another nanny state measure which benefits politicians and the tax collector but doesn’t address the problem it says it does. This ineffective measure uses a sledgehammer inflationary approach and focuses on the wrong area.
We absolutely need to address the growing problem of obesity but this should be done through education, more exercise, less car dependency etc and not just by singling out one product for a punitive financial penalty..
The reality is that sugar taxes don’t reduce obesity and are regressive…
…The obesity problem requires a multi-faceted approach
Soft drinks companies have been active on this issue. In Ireland they say they have increased their marketing spend on no and low sugar options by 80% over the last five years, are not marketing and advertising any beverages to children under 12s, and say they are committed to reformulation
The beverage industry is leading on addressing obesity through a mix of effective measures. Reformulation of sugar sweetened beverages in Ireland has already resulted in a 10% reduction in energy – 15% when the shift towards low and no calorie drinks is included.
They are also reviewing their marketing practices to ensure advertising in a responsible manner, including increasing public awareness on consumption and nutrition.
In fairness, they are committed to doing more, including continuing to accelerate their low calories beverages; aggressive reformulation of their products; and introducing new products with reduced calories.
While obesity rates are rising in Ireland, between 2000 and 2012 the sales of sugar sweetened beverages fell by 21% (sparkling sugar sweetened beverages fell by 28% in the same period).
So what is this about? Why would a sugar tax change this?
Sugared per caps have dropped by 28% since 2003, while lights/waters have grown from 25.7% to 31.9%
With sparkling soft drinks contributing just 3% of total calorie intake in the Irish diet, a tax would be both ineffective in helping to combat obesity and unfair to consumers who would face additional costs.
Lastly we should remember two things:
1. That there’s already a tax on sugary drinks, vat at 23%, and
2. Vat was increased from 21% to 23% and it had no effect on demand for those sugary drinks.
Fight!
*wobble*
Fight Obesity Through Education And Exercise, Not With Another Tax (Eamon Delaney, Hibernia Forum)
“Research for a major new campaign being launched next week to tackle childhood obesity had highlighted the poor choices being made, said Orlaith Blaney, chief executive of McCann Blue advertising agency.”
“Together with healthy eating body Safefood she had interviewed parents around the country to discuss what children were eating and why, in order to come up with an ad campaign that would help people make healthier choices.”
“We questioned mothers in inner city Dublin going to get McDonalds, and blending it and giving it to her young child,” she told the FSAI conference.”
Mum blended McDonald’s meal for her baby – conference told (Irish Independent)
From The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI)
The General and Children’s Commercial Communications Codes have been updated to include rules to be applied to the promotion of High Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) food to children.
…Upon the recommendation of the Department of Health, advertisements and other commercial communications for cheese will be exempted from the Nutrient Profiling Model. Instead, commercials for cheese products that appear in children’s programmes or which are directed at children will be required to carry an on-screen message indicating the recommended maximum daily consumption limit for cheese.
Revised code here
Images: Golden Vale, Kerry group
Claire Brennan writes:
My sister took this today. Sligo General Hospital’s leaflet counter sending out confusing messagNOMNOMNOM
Research carried out by Safefood has shown that despite two out of three adults on the island of Ireland being overweight, only 40% of adults now classify themselves as such.
Safefood says this indicates that thousands of Irish men and women are still failing to recognise that they are overweight, and are putting their health at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
Other findings showed that concerns about diabetes have doubled in the last year and there has been a marked improvement in adults’ understanding of where to accurately measure their waist.
Thirty five per cent of respondents correctly said the locatiton to measure measure one’s waist is around the bellybutton area
