Cape Town - Big retailers which display sweets and chocolates in their check-out aisles and at tills may have to do away with these items or swop them for more healthier options as the government cracks down on childhood obesity.
Joe Maila, spokesperson for Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, said the department was also having discussions with various government departments, including the Department of Education, to discourage schools from selling unhealthy foods in their tuck shops or advertising these foods on billboards.
“We are so concerned about levels of obesity that if we don’t act now things might spiral out of control.
“In fact, we are not only concerned with obesity, but its end results, which add on the incidence of other non-communicable disease.
“Our children are often the victims of these enticing marketing strategies, and we want to end that,” he said.
Maila was responding to the latest report by the World Health Organisation, which raised the alarm about the rise in childhood obesity.
This week the WHO Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (Echo) described obesity in children as an “exploding nightmare”, particularly in the developing world.
The commission, which has been assessing obesity levels over the past two years in more than 100 WHO member states, found that the number of children under five years who are overweight or obese had risen to 41 million, from 31 million in 1990.
The number of overweight children in lower middle income countries more than doubled over the same period, from 15.5 million to 7.5 million.
In 2014, 48 percent of all overweight children lived in Asia while 25 percent lived in Africa. The report also called for schools to promote health and nutrition literacy and physical activity in schools.
Authors also called for increased political commitments by governments, recommending that they implement measures that address the environmental causes of obesity and to help give children a healthy start to life.
If not reversed, the report warned that “the obesity epidemic has the potential to negate many of the health benefits that have contributed to the increased life expectancy in the world”.
Maila said the department “fully supported” the WHO report, saying the country’s situation was no different the countries that took part in the study.
Maila said as part of its National Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Obesity in South Africa strategy, the department was engaging with chain stores and schools, among others, to “discourage unhealthy eating, especially by young children”.
Last year, Woolworths was the first retailer to remove sweets and chocolates from its check-out points.
In August, the store announced that it would start the roll-out of this initiative with all new Woolworths stores, as well as large stores as part of providing its customers with better choices.
Maleeka Mokallik, spokeswoman for Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa said the latest report confirmed the scope of obesity epidemic the country faced.
Mokallik said as obesity was not a one dimensional problem, it required concerted efforts from the government, civil society as well as the food industry.
Cape Argus