Lanka Citizen

from Toronto

Don’t worry, we also will ‘develop’ one day to get our own achievements of child obesity, but right now our kids are malnourished! And junk food is a luxury to us!!

“…..The British government recently decided to ban all junk food, [in schools - ed.] pressured by a high-profile campaign by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. In Canada, a handful of provinces are pondering similar moves.
………..

Calling it a growing public health crisis, the Ontario Medical Association warned this week that an epidemic of childhood obesity may lead to the first generation of children who will not live as long as their parents. ( emphasis ours. -ed)

Indeed, the growing waistlines of youngsters is troubling policy-makers, many of whom are taking steps — considered meagre by some — to control the problem.

The Ontario government has banned the sale of chocolate bars, other candy and pop in elementary-school vending machines. Students are also now required to do at least 20 minutes of daily physical activity in school.

In a bid to become the healthiest jurisdiction to play host to the Olympics, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell has promised to ban junk food within four years from all public schools.
Other provinces, such as Quebec and Nova Scotia, are looking at ways to join the crusade to eliminate junk food high in fat, salt or sugar from schools.

“Finally, people are getting the message,” said Andy Anderson, an associate professor of physical and health education at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
“We have parents more conscious of this, grocery-store owners are more conscious of this, and we’ve even got fast-food people more conscious of this. We’ve got a much larger army now.”

from The Globe and Mail, The clash of the cafs, by Caroline Alphonso, October 8, 2005

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