Labels could tackle obesity

Foods high in fat, sugar or salt could be clearly marked to give consumers a push

The fight against obesity in the UK has been stepped up on two levels. The first measure has been to create new rules for online advertising, banning ads for food and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar and aimed at children. The move aims to reduce the number of such ads seen by children, based on new research that shows children now spend more time online than they do watching TV.

The second measure is a sugar tax, which is currently only proposed as legislation, but will probably come into force in two years, increasing the price of sugary drinks.

Such measures should reopen the debate in this country about the extent to which government can intervene to ameliorate the obesity issues that affect a growing segment of our young population. With one statistic from the WHO showing that nearly 32 per cent of pupils in Abu Dhabi are either overweight or obese, there is clearly a serious issue.

Not all of that is attributable to fast food or sugary drinks, of course, although both are part of the general diet of most young people in the UAE. And certainly no one is suggesting that neither should be sold – in the end, weight loss requires personal responsibility.

But when the issue is as serious as it is, new measures need to be proposed. One way forward could be incremental change in the way certain products, such as fast food, are labelled. Taking a leaf from tobacco advertising, the government could require clear labels on food or drinks high in sugar and fat, which would offer full disclosure of the amounts contained. Of course, fast food companies will argue that such labels already exist, but by making them more prominent they will be brought to the attention of customers more easily.

The issue is certainly serious enough to warrant government attention – just last week, an Abu Dhabi task force of 12 government agencies reported their plan to tackle childhood obesity. So it is something the government is attuned to. Limits on advertising would take it a step further.