Queen’s Speech 2021: Junk food adverts to be banned completely online and on TV before 9pm

iNews

In the UK junk food adverts before 9 pm are set to be banned on television, along with a total ban online. The proposal was revealed in a briefing document that accompanied the Queen’s Speech, as she officially reopened the UK Parliament. Her Majesty announced that the Government would put the National Health Service at the forefront of the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and, as part of that, introduce measures to tackle obesity. Read more …

Why we should think about junk food like cigarettes

GQ Magazine 

In his new book Hooked, Pulitzer-winning author Michael Moss looked at Big Food through the lens of addiction science. In this GQ interview, he makes the comparison between junk food and cigarettes, discusses health-washing – which makes it harder to tell the good stuff in the store from the bad stuff, and the omnipresence of food advertising in our environments. Read the interview

Obesity studies highlight severe COVID outcomes, even in young adults

Center for Infectious Disease Research Policy (University of Michigan) 

Two new, large studies from England and Mexico provide new details on obesity as a risk factor for poor COVID-19–related outcomes, including death. The study out of England published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, examined data for nearly 7 million English patients 20 years and older with available body mass index (BMI) values registered at an eligible general practice from Jan 24 to Apr 30, 2020. The second study out of Mexico was published in Epidemiology & Infection and analyzed data from 15,529 COVID-19 inpatients and outpatients in Mexico’s 32 states from the National COVID-19 Epidemiological Surveillance Study between Feb 24 and Apr 26, 2020. Read more on the studies

Child obesity cases treated in hospital have more than doubled in two years, figures show

UK Today News 

The number of obese babies and toddlers treated in UK hospitals has more than doubled in two years, figures show. Doctors say obesity was a contributory factor in 1,087 patients aged four and under last year, with 61 less than a year old.  Conditions included diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea and stomach reflux. The figure has more than tripled from 336 in 2013/14 to 1,087 in 2019/20, the latest year for which figures are available. Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said it was ‘horrifying’ that infants ‘scarcely out of the womb’ are so overweight.  Read more

Ultra-processed foods and type-2 diabetes risk in the sun project: A prospective cohort study

Science Direct

The study assessed 20,060 participants (61.5% women) from the SUN project (Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra) followed-up every two years. Food and drink consumption were evaluated through a validated 136-item food frequency questionnaire and grouped according to their degree of processing by the NOVA classification. The study found that a higher intake of ultra-processed food was independently associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes. Read more

Germany tightens rules on marketing food to children: ‘Advertising must not induce children to eat unhealthily’

Food Navigator

Germany’s voluntary code governing marketing food to children has been updated. “Advertising must not induce children to eat unhealthily,” Federal Minister of Food Julia Klöckner stressed.  Changes to the code include increasing the age that the code covers to 14, and expanding the scope of channels to include video-sharing platforms and social media, including YouTube and TikTok. Read more

MPP Gélinas junk food bill would remove tasty treats from cash checkout areas

Toronto Star 

Ontario Nickel Belt New Democrat MPP and official opposition health critic France Gélinas has introduced a bill at Queen’s Park to remove the tempting racks of junk food and other treats with high fat, high sugar and high sodium content that are often located near cash register checkouts. A news release from Gélinas’ office said the bill is called the Temptation Be Gone Act and allows the government to make regulations that restrict the sales and marketing of certain treats — including restrictions on what can be located right next to the cash register. Read more

‘Striking’ Increase in Childhood Obesity During Pandemic

WebMD 

Obesity rates among children jumped substantially in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online in Pediatrics. Experts worry the excess weight will be a continuing problem for these children. The study looked at a large pediatric primary care network and found the number of patients with obesity increased from 13.7% to 15.4%. Read more

Jamie Oliver calls on the government to stick by plan to ban online junk food ads

iNews .co.uk

The TV chef is urging the government to “put health first” and not be “weakened by vested interests”. Jamie Oliver and more than 90 health figures are urging the government to push ahead with proposals to ban all online adverts for foods high in sugar, fat, and salt. Campaigners want the government “to forge ahead with landmark proposals to end almost all unhealthy food and drink adverts online, which will protect children from the influence of junk food marketing”. It is understood the proposals to stop all online adverts for unhealthy food may not go ahead, according to reports in the press. Read more

A quick, cost-free way for the federal government to save lives

Doug Roth, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation penned an op-ed that appeared in several papers across Canada. “The packaged food industry has been thriving during the pandemic as we eat more comfort foods, snacks and find pleasure in the little things. Unfortunately, identifying healthy choices and comparing products in the grocery store is not an easy, straightforward task. We need simple nutritional information on the front of packaged foods. It’s one very important way we can help prevent the illness and deaths that come from unhealthy food choices.” Read more