Swiss consider limiting junk food adverts swissinfo | February 9, 2005 8:41 AM http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=5524556 The Federal Health Office is calling on the food industry to consider voluntary guidelines, which would limit adverts for junk food targeted at children. The move follows a similar call for action by the European Union and is aimed at fighting rising levels of child obesity in Switzerland. Health officials say they have asked food companies to contribute to the fight against obesity in Switzerland. A working group is currently considering a number of proposals, with meetings set for March and May this year. "Industry will, with our guidance, develop a voluntary agreement, which among other things will cover a declaration and rules for advertising," said J�rg L�thy, head of the nutrition department at the Federal Health Office. The announcement comes after the EU warned food firms in January to stop targeting children with products that are high in sugar, salt and fat, and to make labelling clearer. Markos Kyprianou, the EU's health and consumer affairs commissioner, said that unless voluntary steps were taken, the EU would introduce legislation. Influence L�thy says that the EU's propositions are worth considering. "It's important that we influence children's behaviour. Limiting advertising on children's television is one way of doing this," said L�thy. An estimated 25 per cent of Swiss children are too fat, roughly the same percentage as in the EU. The trend is alarming, say experts, because overweight children are likely to become overweight adults. According to a recent survey, four out of ten Swiss adults are overweight. Officials estimate the cost of caring for the obese � who show a greater tendency to develop diabetes, heart disease and cancer � is at least SFr2.7 billion a year. Opposition But opponents of limiting advertising say that it would mean the end of the free-market economy. "This confirms our fears that all health problems have to be solved by banning advertising," said Piero Sch�fer of the alliance against banning adverts, which is supported by the umbrella association of Swiss advertisers. "After the limits imposed on tobacco and alcohol advertising, it's now the turn of unhealthy food, and it will be cars soon," added Sch�fer. A similar organisation was formed last week in the United States by the food giants Kraft Foods, Kellogg's and General Mills, who want to self-regulate and maintain advertising targeted at children. Swiss food multinational Nestl� is also against banning food adverts targeted at children, but is in favour of industry self-regulation. "Studies have shown that in Sweden or Quebec, where adverts for children are banned, this has had no effect on childhood obesity," said company spokesman Robin Tickle. Tickle added that the Vevey-based company had its own internal guidelines on the matter and did not, for example, use famous comic characters to promote its foods to children. Pressure But pressure is increasing on food companies to react, with Kraft Foods recently announcing that it would stop targeting adverts for certain brands of biscuits at children between the ages of six and 11. The US has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world, at 31 per cent of the population. Associated health costs have risen to $120 billion (SFr147 billion) in the country. But an overweight population is not just an issue for the US, EU and Switzerland. The obesity rate has soared among most industrialised countries, with the World Health Organization even warning of a worldwide obesity epidemic in the coming decades. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? 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