EMERGENCY! DIAL XXXXL
Interesting, isn’t it, that while your daughter stands on the bedroom scale and frets about that extra kilo, the world is tilting on its big fat a…axis.
News this week that Australians, stretched by mortgage repayments and concerned about the economy, may be suffering a crisis of consumer confidence… but McDonalds is here to help by increasing its “value meal” range for the frugal consumer with burgers and fries priced as low as $1 and $2.
Soft-serve ice cream cones cost as little as 30c. A pack of McBites, $2.
KFC has “Streetwise Meals” and Hungry Jack’s the “Penny Pincher’s Menu”. One marketing analyst said that fast food outlets were seeking to make their wares “no guilt” “no budget” purchases that could be made with spare change.
But can Australians… or the rest of the world afford such cheap, comfort food?
Did you catch the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent this week? The show featured the documentary “Globesity”.
Here’s a catch up clip. But before you watch, answer these questions…
Q: Which nation has grown fatter faster, and currently holds the world’s overweight title? The United States, Australia or Mexico?
A: Mexico.
Q: Where is the biggest concentration of diabetes in the world? United States, United Kingdom, Australia or China and India?
A: China and India
In this report, Foreign Correspondent exposed the shocking explosion of global obesity in places where just a few decades ago hunger was a headline health concern.
They travelled to China where the consumption of sugar and oil has led to an exponential expansion of waistlines; to Brazil where global food companies have fundamentally altered traditional diets and sent the national scales spinning and to India where it’s predicted 100 million people will be suffering diabetes in the not-too-distant future.
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13 Responses to this article
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commonsensegirlonline July 26, 2012
Have you noticed the size of buns, rolls, and so-called ‘small’ cakes these days in the supermarket bakery section? I couldn’t help thinking that we have very quickly over-sized all this food just as the Americans did some years ago and now look at the massive problems both our countries have with huge obesity numbers. I bought one apple cake the other day and cut it into four instead of just one person eating the whole cake. That, in my opinion, made it about the size of small cakes of some years ago. Why are they doing this? Are they trying to make us think we are getting good value for money? If we continue to consume such large serves of any food, not just so-called junk food items, we are going to be paying for it big time in ill-health and large medical costs. We need to take a step back and rethink what we are putting into our stomachs and resist the “bigger is better” motto before being obese becomes the ‘norm’..
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Pinkcat July 26, 2012
I think its too easy to blame the fast food vendors et al. I live a healthy life and eat only whole-grains and natural foods and so do most of my friends but we are all over weight as well. We are all in our 60s so post menopausal. We exercise and go to Pilates and are health conscious but over weight. Could part of the problem be that the population is ageing? Could part of the problem be that we need to re-define what is really unhealthy weight and what is not? I have good blood pressure, low cholesterol, and no other health concerns.
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Julian Skinner July 27, 2012
Pink cat there is nothing healthy about whole grains. Many people cannot eat them without problems. Google Mark Sisson and paleo diet. as for taxes, we should at least remove any subsidies for the sugar industry, unless they are producing biofuel.
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liza July 26, 2012
Sugar is an addictive drug. It floods the pancreas and increases Insulin production which leaves us stressed and needing to take more of the drug. Simple carbs break down into sugar and so promote the same addiction.
Marketeers have known this fact for a long time and scientists have produced FAT RATS in laboratories which proves this . Other nasty additives poison our kids and yet we call those products “Treats” why ? Call them Poison -
Corrina July 26, 2012
Thanks so much for mentioning us in this article. Parents definitely have a role to play in keeping kids well and healthy, but there is no denying the food industry have a role as well. They’re marketing via all forms of media (checked the apps your kids are downloading lately?) and beyond – even things like sponsoring local sports and school fundraising. We’ve just opened nominations for our Fame and Shame Awards, where you can have your say on the food ads you think are most targeting your kids – good and bad. http://www.parentsjury.org.au/fame-and-shame-awards
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Mrs P23 July 26, 2012
I felt really sick watching this video. There is so much wrong with the food we eat, and the normalisation of shitty food into our Western lives.
Yeah, fast food joints and FMCGs will continue to peddle their wares to parents and kids alike. But we don’t *have* to say yes. I think stacks of parents forget that we DO have the power to say no. I say it all the time.
Treats should be just that – treats. Occasional. Be your own boss. Don’t let a freaking advertising campaign tell you what you should feed your kids.
There are so many cheap, healthy dinners you can make that don’t cost a fortune and are actually good for you. Home made pizza. Soups. Quick pesto pasta with a salad. Scrambled eggs and a salad.
It’s not hard to make a bunch of fruit and vege muffins from scratch every couple of weeks, freeze them and pop them in your kid’s lunchbox. It’s not hard to give them a yoghurt and a piece of fruit to go with it.
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Ladylikestodance July 26, 2012
Globesity – how alarmingly apt. The take out message that I got from this was that individually we understand food and it can be a complex relationship. It is the individual who has the choice and is in charge of what goes into their mouths. This is where our power lies – one is completely in charge of what and how much one eats. Food companies are a business, they don’t care abut your health.
As a mother, I try to grocery shop and stock the pantry and be a role model of sorts to my dotta at least while she is under my influence. We have fast/junk food occasionally cos i believe if you ban it then it will only be more desirable.
I don’t buy soft drinks and am shocked to see toddlers given coke or any other fizzy beverage.
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Rhoda July 26, 2012
I once knew someone who had no idea that soft drinks were full of sugar and wondered why her kids wouldn’t eat their tea at night after being given a can beforehand. She only thought of it as a thirst quencher. I have a feeling there are a lot of people like that.
Soft drinks take up a whole aisle in my local supermarket and biscuits take up half of one. This is what some people eat/drink on a daily basis obviously. So much other ‘food’ seems to have either a lot of salt, a lot of fat or a lot of sugar. Sometimes all three.
We really shouldn’t be calling it food because it’s not. Food is something that contains nutrients essential to keep our bodies in working order.
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Alice Shaw July 26, 2012
The talk about a “fat tax” in the media annoys me. Junk food is quite often cheaper and that is why people continue to buy it. I was running a healthy food course at work and clients were quite right when they said the junk meal could often work out cheaper. I don’t endorse the junk by any means but making junk food more expensive isn’t the answer. Making healthy foods available and affordable is surely part of the answer.
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Mia August 27, 2012
Fat is not bad for you. Its sugar that makes us fat. I know for some it sounds weird but butter , full cream or bacon are actually good for you. They have low GI, make you feel fuller for longer. Check out dietdoctor.com
