¨ what are the right policy tools to help people cut down on so-called ¨junk food ¨? this question led to some vigorous political clashes and brought about a new wave of interventionism, as regulators pursued varying approaches.
From Denmark´s double tax on sugars and sat-fats (soon retired following strong opposition from industry),to France´s ¨tax soda ¨ on soft drinks, it is clear that policy-makers have a huge range of choices available to them. but is there even a measurable, objective ¨reality¨ of what hunk food is, or is the term just buzzword? in the era of ¨evidence-based policy making¨ this matters. a lot.
There is no overall EU policy to deal with obesity. And national policy-making, pressed by public health goals, often clashes with a more comprehensive, scientific definition of junk food, focusing instead on single ¨killer¨ nutrients and targeting those through taxation and labeling . There is also a lack of consensus among global institutions on the nature of ¨junk¨. This has led to fragmentation, giving politicians the space to promote their own methods for solving the problem.
The upshot? Scientific consensus takes the back to narrow, national political agendas. That´s a shame, not least because politicians stand to benefit from scientific consensus in the long run.
Obviously, this would mean dismissing that old relativistic mantra: no good or bad foods exist as such; there are only good diets and bad diets. This does not seem true anymore. Compelling evidence shows that sugar and salt do have health implications. But people do not eat sugar and salt. They eat complex foods.
in the spirit of the ¨nutrient profiles¨ the EC has been promising, we need to rate foods to help citizens make informed informed choices, but in so doing we need to consider the food´s true nature. we need an approach in which vitamins and minerals along with other good nutrients are balanced against more problematic ones.
This won´t be easy, but it´s absolutely vital. otherwise, we risk having further policy fragmentation, which in turn will lead to an uncertain business environment for food producers and retailers– and even more mixed messages for consumers.”
Corrado Finardi is policy adviser for coldiretti Italian farmers
Finardi, Corrado
2 “the problem with junk food in our current food culture is that it seems to slip into every meal: we have a pop-tart for breakfast, a snapple at lunch, a soda after school, fast food for dinner, followed by an ice cream sandwich,” says jill jayne, a registered dietitian in New York city who creates nutrition education programs for teens. “you can eat junk food. it just shouldn’t be its own food group.”
3.”diet is an important part of your overall health. A diet high in saturated and trans fats raises blood cholesterol – a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. too much sodium can raise your blood pressure and too much fat and sugar can lead to obesity, both of which may contribute to heart disease as well”
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