Obesity .. Health threat and a burden on the budget

Become obese, both when children Oalbaghein, dangerous phenomenon public concern in many countries. In order to prevent excess weight and health risks many companies seeking food industry to new prevention strategies.

A group of heroes of the famous cartoon series opened Sesame or "Sesamstreet", and the First Lady of the United States of America, Michelle Obama, who have been struggling since years for healthy lifestyles. Especially since about one-third of adults in the United States, and more than 10% of Germans and five people in countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD adults are overweight, and for children and adolescents, the figures are similar. In Germany, for example, affects about 20% of those under the age of 17 years of obesity.

Perhaps true that the so-called "obesity epidemic" has not increased in prevalence dramatically in many countries of the Organization Economic Cooperation and Development OECD, in England, France, South Korea and the United States the number of children who are overweight in the past three years fixed. But on the other hand some estimates suggest that more than two-thirds of people in OECD countries will be obese by 2020. This also means a rise in the number of patients with diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, dementia and other diseases that pose a significant burden on the economy and society and the health budget in these countries. About three per cent of total health spending in OECD countries spent on the treatment of diseases of overweight and obesity.

The impact of customs and tradition of parents

Obese parents often also have children are overweight. This may be for genetic reasons, but often acquire children's poor eating habits from their parents or the environment in which they live. In order to develop a healthy lifestyle should be a good example, in the words of Charlotte Cole, executive vice president for education and research in the series Children Open Sesame: "In the United States we studied tested the foods chosen by children when we have with our characters in Open Sesame ". The results were exciting says Cole, and adds: "When Khirnahm between broccoli and chocolate, he chose a lot of children chocolate, but when we hero beloved Elmo with broccoli, chose broccoli, and when we put Elmo with chocolate again returned a lot of children and chose chocolate." This means that children do not bear the greatest responsibility with respect to the health and nutritional habits, but mainly borne by adults.
Michelle Obama: the U.S. president's wife in addition famous cartoon series Open Sesame

Huge meals

Weight gain does not come only from the comfort or weak-willed explains Kumanyika Chiriqui, a nutrition expert at the University of Pennsylvania in the United States of America. Often plays the periphery and the abundance of food an important role, too, especially in the United States and increasingly in other countries, as "people eat more when they get to eat more, Currently our example restaurants serving drinks up to six times what they were offered in the past. The sandwiches, burgers and fries are vulnerable or three times higher than it was! thus change the weight of people in recent years similar to the quantity and size of the food available in the market. "

And become large meals and even light make a lot of people consume more calories without awareness or intent. Therefore, the food expert Kumanyika relatively understands the behavior of many consumers. Understand her opinion behave in a rational manner: "Pay a little and get what more can of food." And returns this phenomenon to economic pattern in general, as she put it: "We consume more than we need and this applies to many areas, but area food very sensitive: because people who consume more suffering then obese and diseases, and for this we need to a new economic model "
Large meals and high-fat of the main causes of obesity by Ray nutrition expert, Kumanyika Chiriqui.

New production strategies

In order to create new models in the food industry some institutions such as intellectual (foodandagpolicy.org) in the United States gather researchers in nutrition and environmental scientists and food producers and farmers to develop sustainable strategies. Even England and Switzerland supports partnerships with other contractors in the food industry - especially for the alleviation of grease and food salty and sugary.

But a lot of companies food industry major stand against this approach, which is criticized by Professor Hanzhaonr Center Frisenius medicine nutrition at the University of Munich: "the State can enact laws that limit the ads food harmful or ban the sale of sugary drinks in schools, but difficult to implement In fact, because of the strong economic effects. " Then it will charge some food industry companies states to destroy this sector and labor in which it operates. And here it is difficult for policy decisions and clear, in the words of Haonr.

This is not to deny that many countries have succeeded in rationing food industry. In Denmark, for example, consumers pay since 2010 higher taxes on ice cream, chocolate and candy and since 2011 there is also a tax on high-fat products. It also imposed Finland in 2011 a tax on certain types of candy. Hungary also imposed a special tax on materials rich in sugar and salt and foods that contain caffeine. As France has imposed a tax since the beginning of this year, the sweetened drinks - and also in Belgium, Ireland and the United Kingdom and Romania to discuss the idea of ​​imposing a tax on unhealthy foods. These new strategies and taxes would reduce obesity, that destroy the health of citizens and the state budget.