The skinny on new food regulations

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12 comments so far

No wonder people are getting fatter if they want food that is full of flavour as opposed to healthy.

These laws are a good start. Hopefully, soon we can start taxing high sugar/carb/fat/oily foods like we do for cigarettes.

Bent – July 13, 2010, 5:53PM

Even though we think we know it when we see it, junk food is too hard to define for effective government intervention via taxation or more direct prohibition. Cigarettes and alcohol are easy, but the concepts of “nutritional value” and “unhealthy ingredients” are complex even for our trusted scientists. And those junk food eaters are a majority and they vote. All in all, this is a lost cause. Just allow the airlines to charge by passenger weight.

sissifus | st kilda – July 13, 2010, 5:59PM

Where does the mentality come from that if the public are doing something the government does not want us to do we levy yet another tax? Bad form indeed!

Why are our governments becoming like my nanny?. If I go to KFC etc I know the stuff is not particularly healthy. Posting nutritional value will not stop me from the odd ‘treat’ or convenience of fast food.

Governments state, local and federal BUTT OUT of my life.

This country is becoming a total joke!

Then again is it any wonder with the current crop of corrupt, incompetent pollies we have in power.

huh | Sydney – July 13, 2010, 6:10PM

When will the Government let people decide what they want to do with themselves and take responsibility for their actions?

Why make it harder for businesses to operate when they are providing a service, not forcing customers into their premises

Matt | Newcastle – July 13, 2010, 7:25PM

When oh when is the government going to butt out of our personal lives. The nannny state is out of control. If I want a burger or fish and chips I know what I’m buying. I don’t want a useless rabble of politicians who can’t even run a transport system stuffing around harrassing fast food outlets, thereby forcing them to increase prices to cover the cost of the stupidities. If the NSW Government really wants to protect the citizens of NSW from something truly horrible- they should resign and call an election. ENOUGH!

Ruxxy | sydney – July 13, 2010, 9:24PM

the problem, as illustrated by the posters above, is that no-one wants the government telling them what they can or can’t eat, or in this case letting them make an informed decision about what they might want to eat, but they want the government to provide the infrastructure that will allow them to pass on responsibility for their own poor choices. these seem to be the twin spearheads of the moron’s thought process – the government should butt out of my life, but should do more to make it better.

obesity is a massive problem and causes a huge drain on the health system that the government provides. if the government is going to provide a health system, then it is up to them if they think that providing information, or taxing unhealthy products, is going to provide a cost benefit to them and the country. i honestly can’t see why someone would resent fast food restaurants being forced to provide nutritional information that might help them better understand the food that they are eating.

Salad Dodger | Aus – July 14, 2010, 11:04AM

The difference between junk food and cigarettes is that I can eat junk food and still be healthy. A small amount every now and then can be part of a healthy diet.EVERY cigarette is bad for your health, and can not be part of a healthy diet.

I agree with the other posts, stay out of my life. I am healthy, and I enjoy junk food on occasions. I should not have to pay more for it because some people have no self control. This all comes down to peoples inability to be responsible for themselves, and I am discusted that it is getting to the point where the people who do the right thing are disadvantaged so that we can control the others.

Andy | Eltham – July 14, 2010, 12:52PM

I can’t understand what the problem is. The campaign against smoking didn’t begin with taxes, it began with education. When warning labels aren’t enough to stem the tide, you introduce taxes and finally regulate when and where the products can be sold. Like cigarettes, there is no evidence to suggest that there is not a safe dosage of junk food; all we know is that these products are harmful in the long term.

I honestly think anybody that eats KFC must be too dumb to even know what an RDI is, and feeding McDonalds to children is a form of child abuse. But if compulsory disclosure gets even a few parents to stop and think before succumbing to pester power then it can’t be a bad thing. It might just mean that they still let their kids eat the McBowelcancer happy meal, but then moderate what the kids are eating at home to reduce the overall dietary poison content for the day or week.

adam ansell | melbourne – July 14, 2010, 11:41AM

They are not banning the stuff people. Don’t freak out.

I would personally love to know exactly I am eating…

knowledge_is_power | Melbourne – July 14, 2010, 2:15PM

Being in Europe at the moment makes one notice the stark contrasts between it and Australian eating habits and whether such cultural differences can accentuate poor lifestyle habits such as eating junk foods. I was at a tennis club in Stuttgart watching young boys playing their scheduled matches. The tennis club was equipped with a restaurant where hot food or more so traditional foods could be ordered. I was told that this is the norm amongst the many tennis clubs to be found in Germany. After the matches had been played I witnessed all the boys from both sides sitting down together and eating their lunch meals in an orderly and civil manner. There was no rush to be elsewhere and they seemed to be enjoying their meals watched in the flanks by parents and guardians. The inner city Melbourne tennis club I frequent has no such amenities. What I think this points to is a cultural difference where one culture values good eating within all contexts. Australia lacks that cultural value. Is it laziness or just plain irresponsibility? Both I would say. There is an economic argument that could be presented for clubs of any sporting description to provide these basic facilities. Increase the membership costs and ensure that properly cooked and presented food be available for all participants. But it requires leadership. Because we haven’t this tradition in Australia we could possibly do well to follow these “good practices” and start to implement them. This and education for our leaders in what could be done to provide and control the diets of our present and future youth could also negate the the need for hard line tactics that are being touted at the moment. Our leaders need to think beyond the lunch box, so to speak.

Tonii Gramsci | Stuttgart – July 14, 2010, 7:26PM

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The skinny on new food regulations