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ISSUES
Some of the issues that FOE sees as crucial to an effective obesity prevention strategy in New Zealand are:
Progress with the Public Health Bill
The Public Health Bill has been carried over to the new Parliament and awaits its second reading. Before the election, National was opposed to having power in the Bill to make regulations that could be used to address obesity. We expect that National will use its numbers to remove this power.
FOE believes that removing this regulation-making power from the Bill would be a big step backward for obesity prevention.
Introducing a traffic-light food labelling system
A simple traffic-light food labelling system would make it easy for busy shoppers to distinguish more healthy from less healthy food. Food companies are resisting such a move. They don’t want “red for danger” labels on any of their products.
Health Select Committee Inquiry into Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
The Health Committee of the New Zealand Parliament considered submissions on obesity prevention in 2006. The Committee’s 2007 report sets out principles for an effective strategy to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes. It must not be left to gather dust.