How much would you pay for staying alive? How much would you pay for breathing pure air? That may seem a silly question since air is everywhere, accessible to all. Air is a global public good, part of…
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s characterisation of poor people eating “chips and cheese out of styrofoam containers” in front of “massive fucking TVs” doesn’t represent all poor people, working or otherwise…
The study drew a link between high energy snack foods and colorectal cancer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ngk/
Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation and Alexia Attwood, The Conversation
Consuming a lot of high-energy junk foods and fizzy drinks is associated with a higher risk of colorectal cancer, according to new research published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention. The new…
Ready, steady, go - but not not everyone likes traffic systems.
Last Wednesday was a good day for those of us who have been campaigning for years for more understandable food labelling. The UK Government announced their final recommendation for front-of-pack nutrition…
When it comes to food we follow our parents.
PA/Anthony Devlin
We’re grappling with a rapidly increasing number of children who are obese. In the US, where a third of Americans are considered obese, a leading group of doctors have officially designated obesity as…
People under stress are likely to continue whichever habits they have previously developed, researchers at the University…
Food products spruiking their nutritional content or featuring images of male sports stars were more attractive to children, the study found.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonassmith
Michelle See-Tho, The Conversation and Emma Bourke, The Conversation
Boys are more likely to choose unhealthy foods with on-pack endorsements by sports stars than those without, a new study of primary school-aged children has found. The Cancer Council Victoria’s Centre…
Coca-Cola’s business strategy is to build brand loyality and trust.
Flickr/orangeacid
Coca-Cola made headlines this week with a new television advertising campaign. It begins with a voice-over: “We’d like people to come together on something that concerns all of us – obesity”. The ad then…
New York City’s health board is cracking down on sugary soft drinks, but Australian health experts say more is required to address the obesity epidemic.
AAP
Australia should consider a healthy food rebate, tax on sugary drinks, and regulated portion sizes argue health experts, as New York pushes ahead with government regulation to address the obesity epidemic…
McDonald’s has been slapped on the wrist for marketing its Happy Meal to children online.
Skynet
As public health organisations and the food and advertising industries continue to debate the regulation of marketing unhealthy foods to children, I’ve learnt that health organisations must take the wins…
Hospitals provide a regular flow of captive customers for fast food outlets.
Roslyn in Starfish Island
A number of commentators have raised concerns recently about the increasing corporate presence in Australian schools. At a time of burgeoning rates of obesity and chronic disease, the increasing presence…
Businesses sponsor schools to increase sales and generate product loyalty.
Elizabeth/Table4Five
The furore following the announcement that Jenny Craig CEO Amy Smith would address a gathering of hundreds of girls’ school teachers has once again brought the uncomfortable issue of corporate presence…
Cakes aren’t universally unhealthy – and they play an important role in our society.
Flickr/comedy nose
The obesity epidemic is creating panic in the community, with media commentators expressing outrage at our widening waistbands and academics raising alarms about the health implications of carrying excess…
Children remember advertisements and, more often than not, they want what they see.
Dimitris Papazimouris
The impact of junk food advertising on childhood obesity is a topic often debated in the media. One side calls for banning junk food advertising during children’s television viewing times while the other…
ACMA has handballed responsibility for regulating junk food advertising to kids to a preventive health agency.
Eekadman
There’s no evidence that industry self-regulation works to restrict junk food advertising to children. That’s the unsurprising finding of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) long-awaited…
The food industry has won this round but the traffic light labelling fight isn’t over yet.
IJClark
The Federal Government has defied expert advice and rejected a traffic light food labelling system for packaged foods, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to show it would give consumers the information…
Plain packaging is one of many health reforms to enter or pass through parliament last week.
AAP
The final sitting of federal parliament last week lacked no drama, ending with the sudden induction of Peter Slipper as speaker. It was also a mammoth week for health legislation, with the passing of the…
The Heart Foundation today announced plans to dump its tick from takeaway foods, citing unfair advantage for companies such as McDonalds over small takeaway outlets that can’t afford the accreditation…
Senior Lecturer in Environmental Sustainability, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering & Built Environment, Deakin University