Health Update

by Ching M. Alano

Stop the marketing of unhealthy food to children!

The EcoWaste Coalition unleashed a mouthful as it joined Consumers International in celebrating World Consumers’ Rights Day (WCRD) last March 15, seeking global and local action to stop the marketing of unhealthy food to children.

“Junk food contributes to the childhood obesity epidemic and other preventable diseases, and also adds to the garbage crisis with the tons of trash created by the production and consumption of these unhealthy foods that are often packed or served in single-use plastic materials,” said Ofelia Panganiban of the EcoWaste Coalition.

A barangay nutrition scholar and grandmother of 19 children, Panganiban actively pushes inexpensive, locally-sourced, tasty, and healthful alternatives to junk food, like food containing malunggay, the “miracle” vegetable, which is known for its nutritional and medicinal properties. Among this food-savvy grandma’s favorite substitutes for energy-dense and micronutrient-poor snacks are pan de sal with powdered malunggay, burger patty made of saba peelings or grated coconut leftovers, crackers and chips from camote or squash, fresh fruits, and steamed or boiled banana, camote, and corn. And instead of giving your children sugar-filled soft drinks, Panganiban recommends nutritious thirst quenchers like the “pink lady” (camote tops with calamansi), “white lady” (kamias or ginger lily with calamansi), “avo-pan” (avocado leaves with pandan), salabat or ginger tea, and other creative concoctions from tamarind, star apple, dalandan, and other tropical fruits.

Citing the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) report “Marketing of Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages to Children,” the eco-group stressed that children’s exposure to commercial advertisements promoting food and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar has a direct impact on children wanting and eating junk food. Experts believe that such food promotion has a deleterious effect on children’s food knowledge, attitudes, purchase behavior, and consumption.

“Given the Filipino children’s over-exposure to TV ads that tend to promote unhealthy eating choices and habits, and their vulnerability to such marketing pressure, we see the urgent need for concerted actions that will protect our young consumers from childhood obesity,” declares EcoWaste.

The eco-group cited the efforts of Ireland which recently imposed a ban on TV advertisements for candy and fast food, and stopped celebrity endorsements of unhealthy food to children. The Irish government now requires food wrappers to carry warnings like, “Fast food should be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet.” Or, “Snacking on sugary food and drinks can damage teeth.”

EcoWaste notes that at the 2007 World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization has committed itself to promoting “responsible marketing, including the development of a set of recommendations on marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children.”

According to Consumers International, unhealthy diets are a major cause of diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers in low and middle-income countries, warning that some 22 million children under the age of five around the world are already overweight or obese.

So, start ’em young on balanced nutrition.

Source: Philippine Star