Entries by jon valade

Bill to restrict junk food ads worth the heat: MP

Winnipeg Free Press A Winnipeg MP expects to be criticized for getting behind a proposed ban on the advertising of unhealthy snacks and drinks to children. “I expect a lot of opposition, but our diabetes and obesity rates are skyrocketing,” said Winnipeg Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson, who is shepherding a Conservative senator’s bill through the House […]

Access to healthy food still a struggle, says Canada’s health minister

The Province Petitpas Taylor said despite numerous health campaigns, Canadians are still eating too much processed food laden with salt, fat and sugar. Under the strategy, the government is hoping to put new warning symbols on the front of processed foods high in fat, salt and sugar…. And, she said her government will support a bill before […]

This is why child obesity rates have soared

The Conversation Obesity is an issue with no geographical, ethnicity, age or gender boundaries. Rather, obesity is the inevitable consequence of an “obesogenic” environment that we have constructed for ourselves. If we surround children with foods that are high in fat and sugar and restrict their opportunities to run around, they are at risk of developing […]

As advocates push for sugar tax, advertising’s efforts still too sweet for some

Globe and Mail Participants have consistently been given high marks for compliance to the rules. But are those rules tough enough? Some influential voices say no. Health Canada is currently considering new regulations that would impose broader restrictions on food advertising that is targeted at those under 17. One item up for discussion is whether […]

Why Canada needs a tax on sugary drinks — now

Jamie Oliver | The Globe and Mail “To take personal responsibility you need two things: truth and choice. That means the right information to make informed decisions about what you eat – and the right access, to choose the good stuff when you want it.  Right now, no country has got this right. Kids are bombarded […]

Homegrown Health

Globe and Mail At Etobicoke’s Thistletown Collegiate, students learn about healthy eating by growing and cooking their own food. The most frequent legislative proposals that aim to do this – limits on junk food advertisements aimed at children and taxes on sugar or soda – are consistently blocked by both a libertarian objection to government intervention […]