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Regulatory change and obesity – What we could really do
Poster Abstracts P54 Regulatory change and obesity — What we could really do B. Crammond Monash University, Melbourne, Australia There is an ongoing debate regarding the most appropriate methods for combating obesity. Early responses focused on a behavioural approach which made the individual responsible for their own lifestyle choices. There is now a move towards an ecological approach to obesity, though the extent of government support for this largely academic shift is limited. The National Preventative Taskforce appointed by the Federal Government has considered a variety of potential regulatory interventions to combat obesity. These interventions include banning the marketing of junk-food to children, front of packlabelling schemes, and taxes on unhealthy foods and subsidies for fresh fruit and vegetables. The response from industry groups to Taskforce considerations has been swift. The Australian Food and Grocery Council released a public statement that the Taskforce was considering banning Vegemite (which is high in salt) inciting a public backlash. The potential interventions considered by the government represent, however, only the most conservative potential options for regulatory reform. More radical and potentially effective interventions have been mooted which could genuinely affect Australia’s food systems and legitimately earn the industry hysteria currently levelled at the modest proposals before government. This paper will consider the interventions currently proposed and present alternatives like placing calorie caps on pre-prepared meals, requiring that processed foods meet dietary guidelines or prohibiting excessive mark-ups on fresh produce. doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2010.09.053 P55 Taxing food like substances: Applying the logic of the Henry review to food M. Bond ∗ , M. Williams, B. Crammond, B. Loff Michael Kirby Centre of Public Health and Human Rights, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Australia The recent review of taxation in Australia, the ‘‘Henry tax review’’ has recommended that the Federal Government increase the taxes already levied on tobacco and alcohol. These recommen-
S27 dations are put forward as the best method of reducing the social harms caused by the use and abuse of these substances. Junk foods have the same pattern of abuse and the same (or greater) social costs, however the review rejects the implementation of a ‘fat-tax’. The term junk food is in fact a generous one, as the substances in question barely deserve the title of food — the phrase ‘food like substances’ (FLS) to describe that subset of confectionary, salty snacks and sweetened beverages is far more accurate a term. The analogies between FLS and tobacco are many and easy to identify. Similarly to tobacco, FLS consumption has significant costs, both to the individual, through serious illness and premature death; and to society, through higher healthcare costs borne by taxpayers and the impact on climate created by processing, packaging, transport and waste. The Report of the National Preventative Health Taskforce (NPHT) recommended that the government review current tax policies to encourage healthier eating. However, in its Response to the Report the government deflected the proposal, noting that it did not intend to use tax policies to further the goal of healthier consumption, proposing instead soft regulation and interventions in which industry plays a dominant role. This presentation will address the logics developed by the Henry Tax Review for the taxation of tobacco and alcohol, and apply these to a new category, Food Like Substances, as a new approach for meeting the challenge of the obesity epidemic. doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2010.09.054 P56 Energy and nutrient modelling of human evolution Anne-Thea McGill ∗ , Graeme Wake, Alan Beedle University of Auckland Human Nutrition Unit, Auckland, New Zealand In the last 20 million years humans have evolved from fruit/seed eating non-encephalised and relatively short-lived primates to large brained, omnivorous, long-lived Homo sapiens. Physiological adaptations have been required to support the energy requirements of a large brain. For example, the human gastrointestinal tract has become shorter and less specialised whilst retaining the flexibility to manage a very wide range of food types (the ‘expensive tissue trade off’ hypothesis). Humans exhibit slow development and growth which is possibly related to an increased energy
S27 dations are put forward as the best method of reducing the social harms caused by the use and abuse of these substances. Junk foods have the same pattern of abuse and the same (or greater) social costs, however the review rejects the implementation of a ‘fat-tax’. The term junk food is in fact a generous one, as the substances in question barely deserve the title of food — the phrase ‘food like substances’ (FLS) to describe that subset of confectionary, salty snacks and sweetened beverages is far more accurate a term. The analogies between FLS and tobacco are many and easy to identify. Similarly to tobacco, FLS consumption has significant costs, both to the individual, through serious illness and premature death; and to society, through higher healthcare costs borne by taxpayers and the impact on climate created by processing, packaging, transport and waste. The Report of the National Preventative Health Taskforce (NPHT) recommended that the government review current tax policies to encourage healthier eating. However, in its Response to the Report the government deflected the proposal, noting that it did not intend to use tax policies to further the goal of healthier consumption, proposing instead soft regulation and interventions in which industry plays a dominant role. This presentation will address the logics developed by the Henry Tax Review for the taxation of tobacco and alcohol, and apply these to a new category, Food Like Substances, as a new approach for meeting the challenge of the obesity epidemic. doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2010.09.054 P56 Energy and nutrient modelling of human evolution Anne-Thea McGill ∗ , Graeme Wake, Alan Beedle University of Auckland Human Nutrition Unit, Auckland, New Zealand In the last 20 million years humans have evolved from fruit/seed eating non-encephalised and relatively short-lived primates to large brained, omnivorous, long-lived Homo sapiens. Physiological adaptations have been required to support the energy requirements of a large brain. For example, the human gastrointestinal tract has become shorter and less specialised whilst retaining the flexibility to manage a very wide range of food types (the ‘expensive tissue trade off’ hypothesis). Humans exhibit slow development and growth which is possibly related to an increased energy