Recommended: Bush joins new war: battle of bulge

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Headline: Bush joins new war: battle of bulge

Byline: Francine Kiefer Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

06/20/2002

(WASHINGTON)Is the Big Mac akin to Big Tobacco?

 

As Americans grapple with an alarming increase in weight gain and

obesity, health advocates are suggesting that federal and local

governments use some of the same tools to regulate the food industry

that they employed against tobacco and liquor.

 

By taxing soft drinks, controlling vending machines in schools, and

restricting snack and other food advertising to children, they want to

reverse a trend that now has 61 percent of adults overweight - with a

healthcare cost to the nation of $117 billion a year.

 

" The kinds of things we're recommending ... sound controversial because

they're new, " says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition at the Center

for Science in the Public Interest. " But we're just at the beginning of

the obesity [battle]. In the next few years, we'll see these ideas

mainstream. "

 

The fattening of America is a concern to the Bush administration, which

today is launching its " Healthier US " initiative aimed at the

weight-gain challenge. At a fitness fair on the White House south lawn,

President Bush will announce the revival of the President's Council on

Physical Fitness, and emphasize both the importance of 30 minutes of

daily physical activity for adults (60 minutes for kids), and the value

of five fruits and vegetables guideline.

 

" A lot of it is raising awareness, " says an administration official,

citing a new government website on fitness, this weekend's fee-free

entry to national parks, and a greater emphasis on nutrition at schools.

 

Though America's commander in chief is a gym rat, lifting weights

almost daily and running three to four miles several times a week, it's

not necessary to join a gymnasium or go on a fad diet, the White House

wants to stress.

 

" Even modest improvements in physical activity and nutrition can have

significant benefits, " says the official. According to the Centers for

Disease Control, 40 percent of Americans forgo any physical activity.

Seven in 10 don't exercise regularly.

 

The administration itself makes the tobacco analogy, warning that the

number of annual deaths related to a sedentary lifestyle and poor

eating habits is approaching the number of tobacco-related fatalities.

But even though these three categories now account for about two-thirds

of the nation's premature deaths, the administration rejects the

regulatory solution favored by nutrition experts like Ms. Wootan.

 

The difference in strategy depends on whether one views food and

exercise as largely a matter of personal choice - and therefore a

question of individual behavior - or whether forces beyond an

individual's control are at work.

 

Even in the activist camp, few people are willing to make a direct

correlation between tobacco and food. " It certainly is more complex, "

says Richard Daynard, head of the Tobacco Liability Project at

Northeastern University Law School. " There's no such thing as a

moderate amount of smoking. All smoking is bad, " he states. Obviously,

the same can't be said of eating.

 

But Mr. Daynard and others certainly see parallels. As tobacco

companies targeted America's youth (remember Joe Camel?), so do food

companies. Not only in advertising, but in placement of vending

machines in schools and fast-food restaurants near school grounds.

 

Nor is the food industry always truthful about the content or

preparation of its foods. McDonald's, for instance, was successfully

sued for billing its french fries as vegetarian, even though they were

cooked with beef flavoring. Mr. Daynard foresees more of this kind of

court action, " particularly in the area of misrepresentation of the

healthiness of different foods. "

 

At the same time, restaurants are serving bigger portions, and

fast-food places are " supersizing " everything from Cinnebon cinnamon

rolls, to popcorn, to sodas. It hardly helps that the US is

increasingly a TV-watching, car-driving nation with fewer sidewalks and

fewer PE classes at school. (Only one state, Illinois, requires daily

PE classes for grades K-12.)

 

" It's not going to be enough to just point your finger at the American

people and say 'get to it,' " says Wootan. " We need a comprehensive

strategy. "

 

One proposal: Add a 1-or-2 cent tax on soft drinks to finance a major

nutrition and exercise education campaign. The federal government

spends $1 million a year to recommend fruits and vegetables to the

American people. " M & Ms has a $67 million ad budget, " Wootan says.

 

While the food industry recognizes obesity as a problem, it does not

view regulation as the solution. " What you're seeing is a number of

people looking at a very complex issue, and proposing some simplistic

solutions, " says Chip Kunde, vice president of government affairs for

the Grocery Manufacturers of America.

 

He agrees with the White House view - a view his association helped

inform - that the need is primarily for better nutrition and exercise

education, and some high-profile encouragement. " It's all a matter of

personal choice, " Mr. Kunde says.

 

Sizing up America

 

Source: Men's Fitness magazine

 

'Fattest' cities:

 

1. Houston

 

2. Chicago

 

3. Detroit

 

4. Philadelphia

 

5. Dallas

 

'Fittest' cities:

 

1. Colorado Springs

 

2. Denver

 

3. San Diego

 

4. Seattle

 

5. San Francisco

 

 

 

 

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