Sophie Scamps, a GP before joining parliament, says Australia’s obesity epidemic is threatening to overwhelm the nation’s health system. | By Dana Daniel Dana_Adele auspol junkfood
Independent MP Dr Sophie Scamps is pushing for the federal government to ban junk food advertising to children to address Australia’s obesity epidemic, warning the impacts were heaping pressure on the nation’s health system.
“Advertising that targets children – during the times when children are watching TV, at their sporting events – all those things need to be looked at. They can be changed.” “We have a choice. We either look at prevention, or we start to expand our hospital systems radically now to deal with that chronic health disease burden,” she said.. But the strategy has been gathering dust, with neither major party committed to reform.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said while children “require additional protection when it comes to advertising”, there was no plan to ditch the current self-regulatory approach. The National Obesity Strategy said the average five-to-eight-year-old was being exposed to 827 television junk food advertisements a year and that unhealthy food and drink sponsorships were “undermining the health benefits of sport”.
She said she expected parents would support the measure, which would help reduce children’s demands for unhealthy foods while out shopping.
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