Opinion pieces

Last November, the Australian Association of National Advertisers announced new rules to reduce advertising of unhealthy food and drinks to children under 15 including on TV. But a recent complaint lodged by the Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) to Ad Standards revealed that the new Food and Beverages Code deserves an F for fail. OPC is calling for the Federal, State and Territory governments to set higher standards to protect children from the processed food industry’s unhealthy food marketing.

Naturally, parents want the best for their children. While they shouldn’t chastise themselves for offering the occasional treat, what used to be an “occasional” treat is becoming something that’s “every day”, or “several times a day”.

Obesity has become one of the greatest public health challenges of our time; nearly two-thirds of adults and over a quarter of children in Australia are an unhealthy weight.

Coca-Cola Amatil's fierce opposition to a health levy to increase the price of sugary drinks is not surprising; it's our largest manufacturer of the product. Australians should not be taken in by the arguments of Coca-Cola Amatil's group managing director, Alison Watkins. Coca-Cola is not in the business of health. It is in the business of selling drinks, and its job is to return a profit to shareholders by selling a lot of these — mostly sugary — drinks.

The Australian Medical Association is one of many organisations to recommend a health levy on sugary drinks to discourage people from drinking them, but neither the Coalition nor the Opposition want a bar of this. Read the full article

What if I told you there's a chronic health condition that affects one in four children in Australia, shortening their life expectancy and compromising their mental health as well as putting them at greater risk of social isolation? It's also preventable and is being fostered by the corporate sector, while the federal government sits on the sidelines.

Three in five Australian adults get sucked in by promotions and specials on junk food and sugary drinks at the supermarket, research released today shows.